There is Light in Darkness
by oOXperyaOo
Summary: Nobody is immune to darkness, nobody is a saint. Everybody is corrupted one way or another, even the ones who look so innocent, the ones who swore they are pure; they are lying themselves. Without light, there's no darkness. Without darkness, there's no light. And without a balance, there's chaos.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**AN : Hellooowww~! Missed me? Of course you did xD! HERE IT IS, AS PROMISED THE SEQUEL TO TSOHM! This prologue is up to a good start, considering the first one had 900 words. Yeah, this one has 5k xD! There might be some confusion directed to some stuff, but I'll explain it at the bottom AN I'll leave! :D .Also, for a better refference, you can check out my dA, where I'll be posting stuff connected to this fanfic, so you can see how my OCs actually look if my describing sucks. Alright, without further ado here we go.**

**Disclaimer : I OWN... MY ANs!**

There is light in darkness Prologue

After it's fall, the Kinkou Order had slowly but surely rebuilt itself again. With a new head master, high spirits and more followers to come, the future looked bright. But the new master, Youken's helper, needed information from inside of the order that brought the downfall on the Kinkou : The Shadow Order. He had planned the perfect way to get inside, to costume the spy in a way they wont recognise her, not like their lider himself thought the spy he wanted to send in was dead.

''No. I'm not doing it.'' Akyo said in a determined tone.

Reiko sighed. He had forgotten that the perfect person for this mission was stubborn, and wont give up easily on her decision. He tried to open his mouth to talk to the girl, but she cut him off.

''No, master. I'm not going to do it, and you wont make me.'' she said again.

''Lady Akyo!'' he shouted, and Akyo looked like she woke up from some dream. ''I think you have forgotten who you're talking with?'' he said annoyed, and saw her avert her eyes down in shame.

''I'm sorry, Master. It wont happen again.'' she said softly, her eyes still glued to the floor. Reiko sighed. He knew there wasn't any way he will make her accept this mission, but maybe he'll persuade her in doing so.

''I know what I'm asking of you is a hard task, considering your past. Sending you in the heart of the Order where the darkest two persons in your life go trough their own isn't an easy task. But you have to understand, you're the only one who can pull trough this.''

''But Master, there are many ninjas in this order that are capable of doing what you require me to do. I don't wish to believe I'm the only one with the abilities of a spy.''

They were in the new Order Master's office. Reiko sat down behind a big desk, filled with scrolls and papers, while Akyo stood on the other side, seated on a chair. A window was just behind Reiko, as it was showing the main entrace of the Order. The office was medium in size, having also bookcases and cabinets. On the floor, there was a marvelous painting with the Order's emblem.

Reiko had the fingers of his hands intertwined in front of his face, as he looked at Akyo. She hadn't changed in the passing three years, her brown hair cascading low on her back from her pony tail, he icy blue eyes had unfortunately lost a certain spark they held, three years ago. She had the hood down from her head, as well as the mask from her face. She could be considered beautiful, and even Reiko who was in his early fourties could admit, she was one of a kind. But now, he had to make her accept this mission.

Reiko slowly shook his head before replying. ''The others have capabilities, but they are not qualified for this job. You have stealth, intelligence and you can easily lie your way trough this. Sending the others might result in getting themselves discovered, or they could even change sides. That, I cannot allow. You're the only person I'm trusting with this job, and there is this certain thing only you have, and the others don't, that made me choose you.''

''And what is that?'' she said, raising her eyes to meet his own.

''Your own blood. The power you posses in your body.'' he simply said, and waited for her. Her eyes slowly widened as she saw the picture.

''I'm a Shadow Born...'' she trailed off the Master smiled behind his hands.

''Exactly. The ones form the Shadow Order are learning the dark secrets of the shadows you already have knowledge of. If I send any other in this mission, there is the risk they wont be able to retain the shadows from corrupting them. But you...''

''I already have them at my will. So no matter what will happen, they wont corrupt me.'' she said, finish his sentence. The Master beamed behind his hands.

''Now you understand?'' he asked her, and she let her eyes gaze at the desk. He saw in her eyes that she was considering this mission. Her answer told him everything.

''But, even if Zed and Zayenn believe I'm dead, I don't actually think there is another Shadow Born with my eyes. They had always been an easy way to recognise me. Even if I go under another name, they will see trought my lie, because of my appearance. I don't think I'll be lucky enough to escape death a second time master.''

Reiko just dismissed her worries with a wave of his hands, as he let them down on the desk.

''Have you heard about the Institute of War?'' he asked her, and saw her tilt her head in slight confusion.

''The ones with the League of Legends?'' she asked and the master nodded.''Yes, what about them?''

''Well, as you know already, there are summoners capable of transporting souls from inside the institute to a battlefield, to settle down their misundertandings.'' he took a pause before speaking again.''That means a lot of magical power and talent my dear. For this job, I have sought the help of a certain Ionian summoner, a discipol of The Wuju Bladesman. He is an Ionian champion who represents the city state in the League. His discipol will help us with her magic, changing your appearance so you wont be recognised. Does that reassure your worries?'' he asked her and saw she looked somehow surprised. Her face turned into one of seriousness, before replying.

''When I am bound to leave?'' Reiko smirked at her, pleasured to see he had made her accept it.

''In three or four days. It depends on the summoner. She has duties to attend at the Institute, and said she'll try to make her way here as soon as she heards news from us.'' he said, before speaking again. ''And one more thing, Akyo. If you succesfully complete this mission, I will grant you permission to join the League. I know you wished for a long time to join the triumvirate, and represent the Order in the League. If this mission will be a succes, you will. Do we have a deal?'' he asked and stretched her a hand. Akyo looked at it for a while before reaching with her own, and shaking it. Reiko smirked again, and told her she can leave. She raised up, bowed to him and left.

Reiko let himself sit comfotably in his soft chair, with a sigh. It had been a hard task, but with intelligence and persuation he managed to get her accept this job. His face turned serious as his mind crossed upon the deal he made to Akyo. He had wanted her to join the League sooner, but it could wait for now. The triumvirate did a very well job, but he got a sour news from the summoner he had sought for help. She had told him of the League's latest acquisition : Zed, The Master of Shadows himself, had joined the League. Reiko was sure he did so, firstly in order to gain more followers for his cult, and secondly to search Shen and settle the battle that had been going on for so long. Reiko was sure of Akyo's succes in this mission because, in order to make sure Zed will keep low and carefull in the League, he'll break the ice and send the girl he loved in childhood and thought of her as dead, there to keep and eye on him.

Coming to think about it, the atraction between those two in their childhood was visible to anybody with eyes. In addition to that, he had found out Zed didn't planned to kill her at all when he attacked the order, but her sister's anger towards her brought Akyo's downfall. The fact they believed she was dead was just and advantage he had wisely used. Even if they believe she is a spy, they wont be able to see trough her disguise, only if they have another summoner to remove the spell, which he doubted.

From the retain Akyo had towards this mission it became clear to him why she didn't wanted to accept it. She was a smart girl, refusing to mix her job and feelings, and even after all she'd been trough and all the pain she felt from the mere thought of The Shadow Master, she still had feelings for him, which might as well help her in this mission, and in the League itself. Reiko could only guess the true reason behind Zed's wish of wanting her alive during the war, was because even if he wasn't aware of the fact, he still had feelings for her. Only time would show, but for now, he had a letter to send towards the Institute.

~(o-o)~

The girl sighed. She just had finished reviewing another report meant for the tribunal. Somebody who had decided to bring something fresh to the League had picked Sivir jungle. It seemed it wasn't the brigtest ideea, and when the team got mad at him, he got mad at them, as well as the enemy team. So she had three reports for feeding from the allies, two for negattive attitude and another one for spamming. The chat that had been recorded had been extremely long, for since the team with Sivir jungle had managed to keep the match up until the 40 minutes mark, and a lot of things had been disscussed.

After validating all the reports for being true, and writting on a small sheet of paper that was inside the case, she sighed for 'Guilty', and put all the files back, picked them up and headed for the Library.

The Library had everything you needed. Books from long ago, even documents signed by Avarosa herself. Also, the Library had a special section designed for all the cases ment for the Tribunal. The cases went up in organised piles, and summoners could pick them up, review them, give their verdict and put it in a pile labeled 'Pending for More Votes' . For a case it would usually require somewhere between one hundred and one hundred fifteen votes. You knew how many summoners voted, by reading a sheet with a chart, where the summoner would sign, not with their name, but with a special signature also written in special ink of the sheet. And so, summoners would review cases, and later would be judged by a high summoner who would say the verdict the majority picked, and then give a sentence. Many summoners got even expeled from the League.

As she walked down the hallways, she passed various champions and fellow summoners. Nodding her head towards everybody familiar, she soon saw the doors of the big Library. She opened them, and searched for a certain canine champion, she got attached to in a fond way. It wasn't long before she saw him, making order between some books.

''Curator!'' she said, as the champion turned his head to look at her, a pair of glases staying atop his snout. He looked rather pleased to see the girl.

She was a tall young woman, being close to her mid twenties. She had beautiful brown hair, two bangs, one on the right side of her face, shorter but thicker, and another one longer but thin, which went down to her waist. The rest of her hair was gathered in a pony tail at the back her neck. Warm chocolate orbs donned her eyes, a small nose and soft pinkish lips. She had a rather modest chest, a slim waist and somehow big hips. However the clothes she wore were simple and weren't meant to accentuate her curves. She had a necklong purple shirt, with sleeves alike with the ones the Enlightened One had. She had a long indigo skirt, which splited halfway her thigh revealing a delicious amount of skin. She had high heeled black boots in her feet, and a necklace across her chest, something alike to a droplet of water, but preffered to not talk about it.

''Summoner xEnchanted **( That's me, EUNE bros come at me! )**.'' Nasus said, and saw her look at him like she would look at a little child being too polite.

''I have a name, Curator.'' she said with a sigh. The old canine smirked.

''As well as I do. I believed we stopped calling ourselves by our titles, but I can't help it.'' he said with a slight chuckle as he saw her huff slightly.

''Okay, Nasus.'' she said taking a breath between the words. Nasus smiled.

''With what can I help you out today, Kaleyn?'' she smiled softly at him, and showed him the case.

''I need to put this in the 'Pending for more Votes'.It needs two or three more, so this would go to the tribunal soon. It seems I have forgotten my way around this place.'' she said slightly embarassed. The old canine smiled at her, and showed her the way. She smilled and nodded, but Nasus stopped her from going forward.

''Ah, I have almost forgotten. I have received a letter from Miss Kolminye. She told me the letter it's for you and it's extremely important.'' The Curator said, and Kaleyn slightly tilted her head.

''A letter of high importance for me?'' she took a small pause. ''It is rare for such things. Did she gave any other kinds of detail?'' she asked and the canine frowned.

''She said it's something connected to Kinkou. She said the signature of the Head Master itself was on it.'' Her face suddenly illuminated.

''Ah, yes! The Kinkou.'' she facepalmed. '' How could I've forgotten?! Where is the letter, Cura- I mean Nasus?'' she asked politely and Nasus shook his head amusedly. He handed her a white envelope, where the symbol of the Kinkou, as well as the signature of the Head Master being there.

''Thank you Nasus.'' she took it, and then looked back and forth between the place where the case file had to be stacked and the letter. Nasus sighed and shook his head, as he picked up the case file from her hands.

''I'll put this where it belongs. You can go on and solve your bussiness.'' she shoot him a beautiful smile, showing rows of white, pearly teeth. She bowed her head, and then turned around as she took for a small run in her heels. Thank god she had did this many times before.

She hurried to her apartment the Institute provided. However, from the Library to the Ionian wing it was a long way to go. Her thoughts being directed towards the letter, she didn't saw the person in front of her. As she bumped into the man, she expected to fall backwards, like it had happened many times, but a pair of strong arms kept her from doing so. Looking up to her savior she was greeted by her own tutor : Master Yi. She blushed a little at the position they found themselves in, but he helped her stand none the less. Even in her heels he was still standing tall ahead of her with five or six centimeters. He wore his usual attire and smiled amusedly at her flushed face and ragged breath.

''Where is the hurry?'' he asked her and she only smiled shyly at him.

''I'm sorry Master. I didn't meant to bump into you again.'' she said with a small laugh,as he shook his head amusedly. ''I have received a letter of great importance, and had to reach my quarters as fast as I could.''

''Well, it does sound important, but it's unlike you to receive important tasks outside the Institute, and aside Miss Kolminye to be the one charging you with them.'' as he spoke they strated walking together to the Ionian wing of the Institute.

''Yes, well...'' she trailed off gathering her thoughts. ''I have been sought out by Kinkou's Head Master. He said he had asked Miss Kolminye for a trustable Ionian summoner, to help him in a certain mission. He said he needed to change the appearance of one of his ninjas.'' she explained and Yi nodded.

''Didn't he mentioned for what reasons?'' he asked her. It wasn't that he wasn't trusting the Kinkou, but he needed to know the where abouts of his protege, to call her that way. He had watched her grow over the years, and attached to the girl. He knew the deepness of the feelings she bore to him where just as much as his own, but they preffered to stay on friend level for now. Still, he needed to know for what could The Head Master of Kinkou want her for.

''He hand't mentioned any details, but he told me in the first encounter we had, that everything will be explained to me after he will make sure the respective ninja will accept the job. He told me he asked me before he talked to her, just to make sure he had me disponible. It seems Miss Vessaria had yet again said how faithfull and honorable and yaddy yadda I am.'' she said with a slight roll of her eyes.

She didn't minded the good talk, but she also knew that Vessaria, like Master Yi were extremely protective of her, ever since she joined the Institute. Vessaria and her mother Kina, had been extremely good friends, and Vessaria had promised Kina she would take good care of her. It seems the same went for Master Yi. And so, to keep the closest eye upon her head, Vessaria had taken Kaleyn as a personal protege and assistant in certain things. She slowly gazed upon the necklace hanging around her neck and shook her head, looking forward. It wasn't time to dwell on the past.

Before she realised, they were standing in front of her apartment. Kaleyn blinked, and then smiled towards Master Yi.

''Thank you for accompanying me, Master.'' she said with a soft smile as the Wuju Bladesman nodded politely.

''I'll be on my way now. Be carefull, Kaleyn.'' it was rare when he told her name, it sent her heart skipping beats that was for sure, but she loved it none the less, and nodded. Opening the door, she entered her small apartment.

It was simple with the main livign room, having a couch and a table, and she had added a few bookshelves here and there. A hallway on the right lent to the kitchen, with everything it needed, and the halway on the left lent to her bedroom and oposite of it, the bathroom.

Entering her bedroom, she put the letter on her desk, as she sat down as started slowly ripping the envelope. She removed the letter from it, and she started reading the words written in a cursive writting. Upon reaching the end of the letter, she let a small smile grace her lips, as she put it back in the only on-top-ripped envelope, and raised from her chair. Taking her summoner robe, as well as the seal she had received when joined the Institute, she exited her quarters and went for the doors of the Institute. Opening them she put the hood of her summoning robes over her head, and closed her eyes.

A blue ball of light appeared in her hands, as she opened her eyes to look into it. Her own eyes were now shinning blue with magic, as she wandered them trough the blue mist. Then her lips started moving, chanting something unknown to normal ears, as blue circles started surrounding her body. Not long after her chant ended, and her eyes closed, the time itself seemed to stop, and the world turned black.

Then, when she breathed again and opened her eyes, she was standing just before the big gates of the Kinkou Order. The summoning ball disappeared from her hands, as she let down her hood. She saw two guards stood by the gates and approached them. They tensed upon her sight but she stopped in front of them.

''Who are you, and what is the purpose of the visit?'' one of the masked guard asked, and she saw swords against their backs.

''I'm Summoner xEnchanted, and my help had been requested by the Head Master.'' she said and showed the guards her seal. They eyed it a little, but still didn't let her in. Not long after, the gates themselves opened, and Reiko made himself known.

''Ah, Miss Kaleyn, such a pleasure to see you again.'' Reiko said, as the guards bowed to him, and let him pass them.

Kaleyn smiled. ''Head Master. An honor to see you again too.'' she said as she slightly bowed her head. Reiko rolled his eyes at her antics and then spoke.

''Well, you have surely joined me soon after I send the letter.'' she remembered the letter was dated two days prior. ''I do hope I haven't tangled your summoner duties.'' she shook her head rapidly.

''Oh no, not at all. My duties at the Institute can wait, and the majority are not important. I have come at your request. You have told me you'll explain the details of this 'job' you require me to do?'' she asked, as Reiko motioned for them to go trough the gates. She joined him walking towards the Order. It was the second time she saw it, but it was just as amazing at the first time. The high building towered above the forest, with asian and Ionian accents. As the gates closed behind them, Kaleyn took a deep breath.

'Here we go...' she thought to herself.

They approached the doors of the building, the slight creaks as they opened sending shivers down her spine. She looked around the illuminated hallways, and not long after some twists and turns they where standing in front of the Head Master's office. Opening the door and letting Kaleyn in first, Reiko called for one of the guards nearby.

''Call Lady Akyo. Tell her to come here as soon as possible.'' he said in a low tone to the guard before he entered the office.

~(o-o)~

Akyo had just returned to her apartment, when she heard a knock. Walking towards the door and opening it, she blinked when she saw the guard.

''I'm sorry to disturb you Lady Akyo, but The Master asks for your presence.'' he said in a polite tone.

''Where do I have to go?'' she asked him, as she reached to put her mask over her face.

''His office.'' the man swiftly replied and she nodded. Closing the door behind her, grabbing her hood and putting it over her head, she wondered if it was the time for her mission.

Not long after she reached Master's office, she paused as she heard chatter from behind, and soft feminine laughter. Arching an eyebrow, she turned the knob and entered. Upon opening the door and looking in the door, the first person she landed eyes on was this tall brown haired woman, with warm chocolate brown eyes. She looked at her with slightly widened eyes, but a pleasant smile crossed her lips then.

''Ah, Lady Akyo. You have finally joined us.'' Reiko said from behind his desk, as the woman approached her and stretched her hand.

''My name is Kaleyn, but I'm known as Summoner xEnchanted on the Fields. It is such an honor to finally meet you.'' the woman said, and Akyo reached for her hand and shook it. She had a slightly confused face. Kaleyn spoke like she had heard such great things of her, and she met a hero of some sorts.

''My name is Akyo. It is nice to meet you too.'' she curtly replied. Kaleyn shot her another smile before Reiko spoke up.

''Now, now. Let's sit down will you?'' he asked both of the women, as they sat down on the chairs in front of his desk. Reiko intertwined his fingers in front of his face, and waited , after shot silence, he spoke.

''I was starting to explain Miss Kaleyn here, the reasons I have asked for her help. But now that you are here too, let's start with the begining, shall we?'' both women nodded.''Now, Miss Kaleyn, tell us about the process of picking up champions of the League.''

''Right.'' she said as she took a small breath. ''The doors of the Insitute are open for everybody who wishes to join, but what stays between the respective and the title of a Champion, is something called a judgement. A judgement is where Summoners analyze your mind and emotions. The persons whom wish to join the League have to enter trough a special door. When they have opened this certain door, a long hallway presents itself. A the end of this hallway The Reflexion Chamber awaits. Once you have opened the door, there is no way back.'' she took a deep breath and then continued.

''All of the progress is observed by a team of summoners, led by a senior one, who in the end decides if you join the League or not. When you open the door to the Reflexion Chamber, you'll be greeted by darkness, and once you close your eyes, the judgement begins. The summoners have full acess to you mind, your memories, and your emotions, and they create a scenario which varies from person to person. During the end of the judgement, the head master summoner will ask your reason for joining the League, and then how does it feel to have your mind exposed. In function of these two answers the Doors of Acceptance will open or not.'' she stood silent for a while, making sure they both followed her so far. ''The last person to have opened the Door of Acceptance, is someone that goes by the title of The Master of Shadows, his name being Zed.'' she finished, and saw Akyo tense up at the name. Both her and Reiko watched Akyo with careful eyes before Reiko broke the silence, gaining Akyo's attention.

''This is why I need you to do this mission Akyo. The fact that Zed had joined the League means only two things : either he is in search for more followers for his cult, either he plans upon the destruction of the Kinkou members, sent to represent us and Ionia in the League. That, I cannot allow.'' he said, and saw her frown slightly.

''But the League can't do anything about this?'' she asked.

''The League is a neutral force, to call it that way. We invite all the city states to send representatives into the League, so we could solve political and all kind of other problems, in a less blood shedding manner. We can't take any other city state's defense, because that would get the others in rage. For keeping at bay a second Rune War, for the better of Valoran, we let the city states solve their problems trough summoners and champions. If Zed searches for followers for The Shadow Order, there is nothing we can do about it, only if it turns out as a threat for the fragile balance of Valoran. However, if he plans on attacking or even killing one of the Kinkou champions, the punishments are extremely severe. He might be a Shadow Master, but he would get the entire Summoner Elite on his tail, and he cannot face them all. I doubt he'll try such a risky one, considering he knows all the rules of the Institute.'' Kaleyn said.

''That being said,'' Reiko continued ''Zed might have been accepted into the League, but it takes almost one week to get himself a place to stay there, am I right?'' Reiko asked Kaleyn and she nodded. ''During this time I need you to infiltrate the Shadow Order, and find out if he plans on anything against the balance of the world. You're the only one who can do it Akyo.'' Akyo nodded, a little hesitant but she nodded again.

''Summoner Kaleyn here will change your appearance with her magic, so you wont be recognised. She had assured me that even if anybody will have doubts about you, they wont be able to see trough the disguise only if they have another Summoner to undo the spell.'' Reiko took a small pause then talked again, turning to Kaleyn. ''I do hope everything that had been discussed here will remain a secret Miss.'' Kaleyn nodded.

''As I said before, it is not in my interest to interfere with this mission. I'm just going to do my job and leave.'' she said with a small smile on her face. ''Very well then. If everything had been cleared, then means it's time for my magic?'' she asked and saw Reiko nod. She grabbed her hood and put it over her head before turning to Reiko.''Erm... I don't mean to be impolite or anything, but my focus will be better if it's just me and Lady Akyo.'' she said and Reiko had a slight surprised face.

''Oh, sure.'' he said, as he raised from his desk and went for the door.

''I'll need you to remove your hood and mask for everything to work out.'' Kaleyn said towards Akyo ,as she imediately took them off. Kaleyn took the liberty to remove the elastic band that kept her hair tied, and let it spill gracefully down. ''Did I ever meantioned you have such beautiful hair?'' she asked with a soft smile, and Akyo slightly blushed.

Reiko shook his head and chuckled slightly, as he turned around to open the door. A soft blue glow attracted his attention again, as he saw a blue ball of magic enery gathered in Kaleyn's hands. She stood behind Akyo, and he could see her eyes glowing blue with magic. Exiting the room, and closing the door, Reiko waited patiently for the Summoner to finish his job.

**AN : HOW WAS THAT? :D . Was it good? Was it bad? Should I stop writing and kill myself? X_X . I hope you guys like this becauseeee, in this sequel all you AkyoxZed fanboys and girls (including me) will get was we really want. REAL romance! I have toons of fluff ready for these two, but for now let's start explaining some stuff.**

**My Summoner's parents were extremely powerful Ionian Summoners. Vessaria and Kina knew themselves for a long time, and Vessaria had taken Kaleyn under her protective wing. The necklace I was talking about it's a gift from Kaleyn's brother, which had unfortunately died at the mercy of a Noxian band of delinquents who wanted to pick up on Kaleyn. It's a complicated story, but I'll bring more about my summoner if you really wish me to. Master Yi being the immortal ass he is, knows Kaleyn ever since she was a baby. He had been her first champion, and guide trough the Institute when she joined it, and she had unfortunately started falling for him x3! Again, if you want more of my summoner just ask! XD**

**Alright, hope you guys like this, I'll try to stop being a lazy ass and make longer chapters, but until next time ~~~!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Shadow Order

**AN: How ya doin' all? I'm fine quite fine. Chemistry is killing me, but I'm fine. Here you have the first chapter of TILID!It's shorter than the prologue ( ;-; ) but it's that way cuz I don't want to ruch into things. Also, just to see how actually bored I was, I read just a few hours ago 'Kassadin's Excellent Towerdive'. I hate my boyfriend for telling me that goddamned fanfic exists. I DON'T RECOMMEND TO ANYONE TO READ IT. For Miss Fortune, Ryze, Taric, Turret and HotshotGG fans, that aint' a fic for ya... Anyway, this is like a connection chapter, where the antagonists of TSOHM return and yaddy yadda. I dun wanna spoil it all. But before we start, a few shoutouts to those I couldn't reply:**

**Guest: No need to thank me buddy. It was coming after the 20th review xD. Here you have the next chapter, I wont fail you I promise. AkyoxZed FTW !**

**Coski: I'm such a bad person for not replying to your reviews in TSOHM. They were sending me in 'I have to get the next chapter done asap' mode xD. Thr later chaps will be filled with Oscar worth drama and prob romance... Idk ;3.**

**Sabrine321: You can? :o . Glad you do :3. It means I did the prologue right xD.**

**Also Warning : Sucky action and fighting scenes. Read at your own risk if you want to laugh at me ;-;.**

**Disclaimer : blah blah blah...**

There is light in darkness chapter 1

The magic's light filled the entire room. A soft blue ethereal glow seemed to fill and swallow all the colors. Akyo put all her faith in the summoner, closing her eyes and let her do her stuff. She wasn't extremely used with magic, and neither a fan of it, but it was necessary. But she wondered how will the summoner make her look...

Kaleyn focused her energy primarly on the ninja in front of her. Such cordial things like changing appearance was something even a begginer in magic could pull off. Changing the color of your hair, or eyes, hiding ugly scars and birthmarks was a spell any mage with enough patience and talent could master immeadiately. However, transforming into another living person, was advanced magic and it required a lot of magical power, let aside the experience the mage needed. The spell she was casting on Akyo however, needed more time to be casted corectly. One mistake and it could go really wrong.

Her eyes which still had that same blue shine like her summoning orb, were wandering fastly trough the eternal blue, seeing and whispering a soft chant, something only mages could understand. Her chant was coming to an end, and she let a small smile grace her features, looking at the new girl in front of her. Her chant stopped, and the orb slowly dissapeared. She let down her hood and sighed softly. However, a smile of prideness spread across her features. She saw that the door had yet to be open, so that meant Reiko still thought they had yet to finish.

She walked around Akyo, and sat on the chair in front of the girl. She observed she had her eyes closed, but she peeked one open when she heard Kaleyn drop on the chair. She smirked again. It worked out just perfectly. Akyo furrowed her brows in slight confusion, as she opened both of her eyes, and the summoner's smile only grew more. She was extremely confused, so she hadn't noticed the soft blonde locks falling down her shoulders.

''Why are you so happy all of the sudden?'' Akyo asked, slightly amused and the summoner only shok her head in the same amusement.

''Oh nothing, really. I must say tho, you look even more stunning with brown eyes.'' she said, and Akyo furrowed her brows more. Brown eyes...?

And then her face illuminated, her eyes widening and her mouth slowly opening. She looked down her shoulders and saw that where her brown hair should've been, blonde locks were falling down her shoulders, down to her mid thigh. Then, she raised from her seat and went for the window. She slowly approached it, and saw the reflexion on it. Her usual icy blue irises were replaced by chocolate brown ones. She seemed like a whole new person, even she didn't recognised herself. She looked incredulously at herself in the window, and Kaleyn only smiled softly towards her.

''You're so mature sometimes and yet, you act so innocent towards new things.'' Kaleyn said, and Akyo turned her attention to her, slight confusion in her eyes.

''What do you mean?'' Akyo asked slightly amused.

''You see,'' Kaleyn said as she raised from the chair and approached her slowly ''remember when I said that a team of summoners watch someone's progress trough their judgement?'' she asked ,and Akyo nodded slowly remembering everything. Kaleyn looked out the window, her eyes distant, a momemory playing in her mind. ''I'm a part of that certain team. When somebody joins the Institute under the title of 'Champion' we're allowed to search for a backstory for the Champion, the backstory itself inspiring from the Judgement that had taken place. I guess I can say fortunately, I had to be the one getting the 'raw' lore, to call it that way for Zed.'' she paused, taking a breath '' And in his memories, some of them of course, since I'm not allowed to see all of one's memories, there was this certain young girl, with white eyes. The first memory she popped into was one of a clearing, and she looked towards him with fear and innocence at first.'' she turned to look at Akyo, who looked at her with slight wide eyes and a softly open mouth.

Kaleyn smiled towards her. '' You're more special that you give yourself credit for. And I can say that not from Zed's memories, but from your personality.'' her smile widened a little '' You have to start believeing in yourself more often.'' she added, and Akyo looked like she wanted to reply, but the door opened.

Reiko entered the room, and did a double take when looking at Akyo. He slightly smilled.

''My, my. Who is this stranger I've never seen before?'' he asked and Kaleyn only chuckled.

''Transformations like this are not a hard task for mages. However, for them to keep on as much as we wish, we need magical power. That wont be a problem here though. The spell will keep for seven days and a half, just enough to get in and out safely.'' Kaleyn said as she smiled towards Reiko. Akyo looked a little uneasy, but didn't talked.

''Well, I thank you deeply for your help Miss. I will make sure Miss Kolminye will hear about your good deed.'' Reiko said, and Kaleyn only rolled her eyes.

''Please don't. That's the last thing I need Miss Kolminye to hear...'' she said as she walked to the door. She opened it and paused. Turning around, she looked at Akyo and smirked.

''See you in the Fields of Justice, Lady Akyo.'' she said, as she turned around and left the room. Akyo slowly processed her last reply. Did she... Believed she was going to make it to the Fields themselves? To be accepted in the League? She smilled to herself, as she closed her eyes. This summoner...

However, Reiko cleared his throat and Akyo's attention snapped up to him. She had a serious face for his stern one.

''When do I leave?'' she asked immediately, and Reiko replied in a cold tone.

''Tonight.'' he said no more, as she bowed and turned for the door. After she closed it he spoke.

''Be carefull, Akyo.'' he said slowly, sure she was too far away to hear. However, the shadows hear everything. Akyo only smirked.

~(o-o)~

The sun was slowly going down, casting long shadows trough the forest. The hooded figure, which had a simple wooden staff, sharp at it's peaks was wandering trough it, her destination : The Shadow Order. The hood she wore was black, and since her arms where slowly moving next to her body, it was covering a lot of it, the only thing visible being a pair of long grey leather boots.

Her mind and her heart were all in a race. She looked calm on the outside, but inside there was total chaos. She felt fear, excitement and somekind of longing. Longing for what she wondered herself. To see the one who had almost killed her? And to see the one that had senteced her to her own death? How stupid was she to be thrilled to see the person who wished her dead?

'Stop it!' a voice said loudly in her mind. She replied.

'Stop what?!' she asked that little squeaky voice.

'Stop thinking like that. You're well aware that she lied you. He wouldn't do that!' the voice replied even louder.

'How can you be so sure?' she asked it, but the voice asked her another question.

'Why do you even care?' the figure huffed in her mind, already getting annoyed to talk to... herself.

'Of course I care!' she said loud, close to a yell.

'Why?!' the other voice replied defiantly.

'Because...' the figure stopped. Thinking, breathing, moving. She just stopped. Why? Because, as painfull at it was, realisation dawned upon her, and it felt like a ton of bricks being dropped on her small figure.

'I still care for him...' she heard her own voice talk in her head, it's echo slowly fading into emptiness. It was true, even after all these years her heart refused to let him go. There, in the back of her mind and her heart was that stupid hope, that maybe he wasn't lost forever. Maybe he could control them. Maybe... there was a chance for a new start for both of them.

The figure just shook her head. Walking faster to catch up on the lost time, she decided to let things slide off now. Thinking could be done from inside the order. As the gates of the Shadow Order came into view, the sun was close to disappearing from the sky, painting it in crimson gold. Two black clothed ninjas, with two swords strapped against their hips, were making small talk, until she came into view. The just watched her up and down, and looked at her with raised eyebrows. She stopped a few meters away from them.

''Purpose and duration of the visit.'' one of them threateningly said, as his arms were crossed across his chest like the other one. Akyo watched them with cold eyes before speaking.

''I'm here to join The Shadow Order.'' she simply said and the two held their chuckles back with small effort.

''You, a mere girl?'' the other one said, as he wasn't even trying to keep his laughter. Akyo arched an eyebrow.

''What? Scared that a little girl can take out both of you out?'' she almost snarled at them. Their laughter immediately stopped, as they glared at her.

''You wouldn't even be able to move you little wanna-be-whore.'' one of them said, and Akyo had to stop herself from ripping his head off right then. ''If I were you I'd just leave before I'll show you real-'' his sentence was cut short when he felt pang of pain coming from his chest. He looked down and saw that a long wodden staff went right trough the middle of his chest. He looked incredulously at Akyo, and she didn't spared him a second glance. Ripping the staff away from his chest, she gave it a fast twirl before she rotated on her feet and striked the man straight across the face, the sharp peak of the staff leaving a deep scar across it. He fell down immediately, and his friend only looked bewildered at her. He was frozen in place.

''Boo.'' she told him, and he instantly turned around and entered the gates. Akyo scoffed at him, and entered the Order.

The eerie silence picked up at her nerves but she walked forward none the less. The ground around her seemed abandoned, but she could count the ninjas hiding in shadows. They all looked at her with calculating eyes, wondering who the hell was she, and what was she doing it here. Akyo tightened her hold on the bloody staff, and she held it even closer to her body, as she could see the shadows moving. And then, three of those shadows came to attack.

Zed was sitting boredly on the throne the order held. The old man didn't like to use it, when this used to be The Kinkou, but it had always been here, and he deserved to be seated on it. The chamber itself was big, with five or so pillars on each side of the room. A crimson red carpet lent from the double doors to the throne.

Then he was startled as the doors burst open, one of the guards coming trough it.

''It better be important.'' he said in a low tone, and the guard slightly cringed.

''I-It is Master!'' the guard sttutered. ''The students outside are trying to fight back a random girl-'' he paused abruptly as Zed held up a hand.

''Why are the 'students' fighting back a 'girl' ? You and the other should've been enough to stop her, whoever she is.'' He said while glaring at the guard, as he seemed to make himself smaller and smaller.

''S-She just took Rein out and...'' he stopped, as Zed raised from the throne. He slowly walked towards the guard, as she closed his eyes in fear, but Zed merely passed him. He opened the double doors and went for the nearest window towards the entrance.

He saw the girl was surely fighting with a simple wooden staff and an accuracy that would put any ninja to shame. Three of his students were trying to take her down, but she managed to block all of them out. She had a cloak and hood over her body, but the movement revealed over the knee grey boots with brown defenders on her knees and elbows. She had simple short black pants and a blouse to match. Fingerless gloves adorned her hands, as she twirled the staff in them. Zed stayed at the window with his arms crossed across his chest, his brows furrowing in confusion. There was something familiar about the fight style of this girl.

Akyo tried to regain her breath as two of the ninjas were clutching their wounds. One done across the chest and one across the abdomen. The other was holding a bloody right arm, and the stare down contest was far from over. She had scratches and bruises across her body too, but nothing too life threatening. She was standing with her back towards the main entrance, so she furrowed her brows when the three ninjas in front of her gulped audibly in the silence. They tensed and looked like they saw some ghost. However, her ninja senses woke her up from her reverie, and she imediately turned to jump away from a metal shuriken. She jumped to the side and then blocked another with her staff. She glared at the new attacker, but her knees felt like they would give up. After all these years...

Zed stood at the base of the stairs, another two shurikens ready in one of his hands. His crimson eyes glared at the girl, as she returned it. He threw the shurikens at an aluring speed, but she dodged both of them by dowing a cart wheel to the left and landing gracefully on her feet again. His eyes looked her up and down, then he raised the stake and suddenly vanished.

She calmed her breath, and waited in the silence. The three ninjas have long vanished since their master had arrived. Akyo listened to the silence, trying to hear anything. Then she heard the sound of a blabe moving fast trough the air, and turned around to block one aimed for her neck. Zed pushed with all his power into her staff, the dent slowly being made into the wood. Akyo cursed under her breath. How she missed her old staff...

She jumped away to put some distance between them. Head on he was going to beat her, since she wasn't as powerfull without her runic staff. If he hit her with another two more strikes like this in the same place, the staff was going to break and render her weaponless. She had to think smart, wait for him to make a mistake. After all she knew his flaws better than anybody.

Before she could focus on him again, he was long gone. Divine inspiration blessed her, as she did a back flip in the air, just before another blade was going to be brought to her back. As she was returning to the ground face-first she put one arm before her and used it to push herself up, landing on her feet in a crouched position. She swiftly raised to her feet, as she tried to strike him, but instead her staff hit a black mass. A shadow. His shadow. Eyes widening, she crouched again as another blade was trusted for her back. Caught in the momentum, Zed almost lost his footing but regained it fast. However, he knew she was going to have that staff pointed at his head by the time he turned around.

And Akyo would've have had it, but her staff was knocked out from her hands. Caught in the confusion, it was late when she had felt the sharp edge of a cold steel blade pressed against her neck. Her cloak had been somehow lost in all the encounter with Zed, and there she was now, her face free on any mask in years, her blonde braided hair flowing down. Zed had one arm across her shoulders, and the other had the blade close to her neck. In any other words she was caught. If it wasn't for the life and death situation, she would've enjoyed the strange embrace.

She softly gulped, waiting for the blade to slash her throat apart. However that didn't happened. Instead, she felt Zed let her go and give her back her personal space. Confused, she turned around to see his blades have retracted and he had his arms crossed over his chest. He was eyeing her up and down and she could only stare at him in confusion.

''Who are you?'' he asked her, the voice distorted from the mask he wore. She needed a few seconds before replying.

''Yukine.'' she answered him. She had always liked this name, might as well use it now.

''Why are you here?''

''To join the Order of course.'' she answered him with a roll of her eyes. This wasn't her usual self, she knew. But she had to act like another person.

''You fight good for a normal person. Are you sure you're not a ninja already?'' he said as he lowered his tone, sending shivers down her spine. Holding her fake personality Akyo spoke with confidence.

''I told your guards I'm more than I look like.'' she answered him and she could only asume he was raising his eyebrows.''So I guess you're the mighty Head Master I've heard of.''

Zed hold back a chuckle. ''My, am I that popular?'' he asked her and saw her 'hmph' in amusement.

''For those who search true power, yes.'' she told him back, a defying look in her eyes. ''The Master of Shadows himself, Zed. Isn't that you?'' she asked and saw him shift his weight on another foot.

''It all depends on who asks.'' he answered her question smoothly in return and saw the amused spark in her eyes. He was starting to like this girl already.

'' _'A mere girl' _who wishes to join the Order.'' she quoted the *dead* guard. ''I'm here to join the Order and learn the way of the Shadows.'' she told him, and Zed waited a few seconds before replying.

''Why us? Why not the Kinkou?'' he asked her, and her face darkened a little. She answered him confidently.

''Balance is weakness.'' she told him shortly, and asumed he only smiled amusedly. He wore that mask, from his posture there was so much she could know.

Of course a crowd formed of students had gathered around them. Zayenn had also joined the picture, having her arms crossed and her eyes slightly narrowed. She was in the front line of the students, a few meters away from Zed. She, like the others, was waiting for a response and also an explanation.

''Well...'' Zed paused, like he was thinking. In truth he had already made up his mind. ''You do seem like an excelent candidate. How old are you again?'' he asked, and saw her sweat drop at him.

''I'm twenty three. Soon to be twenty four.'' considering the summer was close to an end, her birthday just about this autumn. He mused a little before answering.

''Very well. You are accepted.'' he told her, and she couldn't help the small smile forming on her face. Zayenn started to make a few steps forward. She was in charge of the new trainees all the time, but now Zed held up a hand to her while he slightly turned his head towards her. She looked confusedly at him, stopping in mid walk when he spoke.

''No need to. I'll take her as my personal apprentice.'' he told Zayenn.

The soft gasps were aubdible. And the silence after was palpable. Akyo realised that Zed wasn't one to take 'personal apprentices' now wasn't he? The somehow jealous and defeated glares of some of the female and as well as some male ninjas were starting to make themselves known. Even Zayenn glared at her, a hatred that didn't matched the one she once hold for her, but just as dangerous. She seemed... jealous?! That Zed was going to take the new girl as his personal apprentice? No, it didn't seemed like that, but still...

Akyo just waited for the others to make the first action. Zed and Zayenn exchanged glances and it wasn't long before she said loud enough for all to hear.

''What are you gawking about? You have training and lessons to attend. MOVE!'' she said as she turned around with a hot glare, all the ninjas vanishing. She glanced at Zed one last time, before she turned to climb the stairs and enter the Order. Soon, there was pure silence and Zed turned to look at her.

Taking a second look at his eyes, they were extremely different since the last time she really watched them. Back then, in the day he was expelled, his eyes were filled with hatred and fury, a rage so great it scared her. But now, they had the same composture they had during that year they spent together. Calm and collected. She only sighed inwardly, a slight scar from her heart going away. Maybe there was a second chance for 'them' ...

Zed just watched the girl intriguedly. He was well aware of the fact that she searched for something in his eyes. Or rather, she was observing them. From indiference, her features softened, revealing a somehow relieved aura. For what she felt so relieved he did not knew. Clearing his throat and regaining her attention, he jerked his head in the direction of her cloak before speaking.

''Pick it up, and let's move inside. You will have a lot to do in the next weeks.'' he told her, as she went to pick up her cloak. She secured the cloak over her shoulders, before breaking into a small sprint to catch up with Zed. The moon already showed it's white face, the hallways of the old Order lighted up by torches. She followed Zed trough familliar hallways, altho she didn't recognise the room they stopped in front of. Taking the lead, Zed opened the door and let her go in first. She entered the quarters, and Zed followed soon, also flipping on the lights.

It was likely to her old apartment, the room they stepped in being the living. On the right there was a small hallway which probably led to the kitchen, and on the left another one, where her room and the bathroom were. She just observed the room in silence, before Zed spoke to her.

''This is where you'll be staying for the time being. If you wish you can change it.'' he said, and she turned around to see he was leaning on the door, his arms crossed.

''No, it's just fine.'' she replied and frowned a little. Gathering her thoughts she looked into his eyes and spoke. ''Altho, I'm a little behind. I saw how your followers reacted when you said I'm going to be your personal apprentice.'' she told him.

''So...?''

''So, I take that you don't do this often, or better said you've never done this before. Why me?'' she asked him, as he just stared at her indiferently.

''Because...'' he took a breath before speaking. ''There is something in the way you fight that made me pick this decision. You fight a lot like somebody...'' he abruptly paused, his attention turning towards the ground. Akyo frowned.

''Like somebody...?'' she asked, and saw he got a little uncomfortable with the subject. He took a deep breath and looked at her again.

''Like somebody I once knew and trained.'' his answer stopped her heart for a second. He was talking about...

''Why past tense?'' she asked without thinking and saw him straighten his posture.

''You'd prefer me to not talk about my past. I'll see you in the morning.'' he told her, as he exited the room.

She just stood there bewildered. He didn't forgot her. He acutally seemed pained to talk about her. Why? Didn't he wanted her dead? But maybe... Her mother had been right. Maybe Zayenn had lied after all. Why tho? Why would've she said that?

Akyo just shook her head. It was getting quite late, and remembering Zed's ways of training, he was probably going to wake her up in the middle of the night again. She unfastened her cloak and went for the bedroom. It was quite big, a bed sitting next to the left wall a nightstand next to it. A desk with a chair was in the other corner of the room, same side with the bed. A window was just in front wall and a closet lined the right wall.

Getting ready for the night, Akyo took one last glance at herself in the mirror. She still couldn't believe her eyes. Sighing, she turned off the bathroom light and went for her bed.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this :3. Drama is comming, with regrets and memories being digged up from the past. Will Akyo survive this week? Will Zed see through her disguise? Why was Zayenn jealous out of the sudden? Will she find out about her sister's deception? Will Zed and Akyo FINALLY confront their feelings and get to have some romance?!**

**I have no ideea. Let's see what my brain thinks :D. As usual, reviews are extremely welcome as the next chapter it's on it's way! Next time on TILID : Chapter 2 : Deception.**

****(Also, about that guard who got freaked out when Akyo said 'Boo' to him... He may be a guard, but that doesen't mean he can't get scared outta his pants when a random girl kills his friend in seconds...)****

**Love you~~**


	3. Chapter 3: Deception

**AN : Late update and small chapter. You have every right to kill me. I'm sorry my chapters are getting SHORTER, but I'm hacing a HUGE Writer's Block alias WB, and I have some stuff planned for later chapters. So bear with me T_T. I do hope you're gonna enjoy this, and ofc IGNORE MY GRAMMAR ERRORS. And aside that... Nothing new. And btw! Check out Angellikal on dA. He drawed an amazing picture of an adult Akyo! And I'm probably gonna post her portrait tonight, so check that out too. And to avoid confusion Yukine = Akyo . She took up that name so she wont be recognised. And I've also treated a subject peachycupcake left in a review. Hope to also clear some other confusion.**

**Shoutouts to those I couldn't reply : **

**Coski : Oh, and the tension is FAR from over xD . J-just calm youserlf, I promise I wont put Akyo on deathbed again... Also, sorry about your final bro. I know that feeling. I'm flattered that I 'cushioned' the blow, and also hope to bring out more smiles with this chapter :D!**

**Guest : Why are you? D:**

**Spazway2 : Lel~ . I know really, she is. I'm so flattered you're shipping them! It means so much to my heart ^^'' . Well dear sir, how about you get high again? :D**

**Sabrine321 : When I'll put romance, I'll make you guys drown in it, because I'm also dying to get to fluff, but I'm so laaaazzyyyy T_T . Dun worry, romance is prob three or four chapters away :D .**

**Guest : Glad you do. Here you have it. AkyoxZed 4evaaa~~~! xD**

**Guest : tank iu. I uill.**

**Disclaimer bleh bleh blehh~~**

There is light in darkness chapter 2

The wind blew softly, moving the grass around. The birds chirped happily as the sun let it's warmth spread joy to the ground below. The sky was blue, soft white puffy clouds here and there. The forest was filled with life, and yet in the same time quiet as two small figures stood in a clearing. They were both seated on the ground with their legs crossed, looking asleep. However, one of them, a girl with brown hair wasn't as calm as her partner, who also had brown hair, and which eventually led to him opening his crimson eyes to gaze at her.

''Something is bothering you.'' he told her and she sighed in defeat. She opened her white irises to gaze into his own, a worried expression on her face.

''I...'' the girl trailed off, looking towards the ground. This only raised the boy's worries.

''Come on. You know you can tell me anything.'' he told her in a soft tone, and she sighed. She bit her lower lip before she tried to express herself.

''You... You are a lot more competent that me in a lot of things...'' she said while furrowing her brows in an attempt to gather her thoughts. The boy only arched an eyebrow.

''I don't get it...'' he told her as she huffed a little before explaining herself.

''What I mean is...'' she looked at the ground sadly before letting out a soft sigh ''you, you could always rise above the others. And that would mean you would leave me behind...'' the boy frowned a little at the girl before he realised what she meant.

He chuckled. The girl frowned and looked confusedly at him. The boy hold one of his hands to his mouth in an attempt to keep his laughter but when their eyes met, he failed. He let out a few snorts and chuckles and the girl's confusion only grew. Finally after his laughing fit downed down, he looked at her with kind eyes and an amused smile across his face.

''That is what's troubling you? Really?'' he asked her, and she looked away blushing in embarassment and confusion. She still didn't understood what was so funny in all this.

''You little fool.'' he told her as he caught her in a warm embrace. The girl's blush grew madly at his action, her heart threatening to explode in her chest. She had her hands on his chest, as well as her right cheek. The soft tune of the beating of his own heart managed to calm down her own a little. ''How could you even think of that?'' he asked her, his voice reverberating trough his chest making her heart go on a race again.

''Well...'' she shyly mumbled making him shook his head.

''That would never happen. I would never leave you Akyo. It's a promise.'' he told the girl, as she smiled tenderly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her heart calming down on her own.

''I'm glad you never will, Zed.'' she told him, and he closed his own eyes while smilling.

But then, darkness ensued. Everything was gone. The birds, the sun, the forest. Everything. He was standing alone in the never ending darkness. He didn't panicked, darkness was his home but it still troubled him. Then, a voice he never had the pleasure of knowing resounded in the emptiness.

''Gone...'' she said, and then when he blinked he saw the scene that should've remained in his memory as the most succesful day in his life. When he had completed his technique. When he had brought the downfall of The Kinkou. When... she died.

He looked at Zayenn confusedly. She had her back to him, but he was sure she wore the biggest smiles she ever had.

''What do you mean by 'gone'?'' he asked her and she turned to look at him with a dead panned look.

''What would I mean by gone other than dead, Zed?'' she asked him with a roll of her eyes, and her attitude changed when she felt him growing angry.

''You promised Zayenn.'' he told her coldly and saw her flinch in fear. The heated gaze he was sending her was hot enough to burn holes in her head. She tried to regain her composture.

''I know I did. And I would've kept my promise, but she stopped me from doing so.'' she told him, and Zed crossed his arms over his chest.

''Oh really? How so?'' he asked Zayenn and she took a deep breath.

''I followed her in the fray. I tried to persuade her into joining us, but she just kept telling me how high and mighty the protectors of balance are, and how we are going to regret this. The drop that filled the cup was when she told me it was better than she won that trial.'' he said with disgust across her face, her eyes narrowing and glaring at the ground.

''So let me get this straight. You tried to get her join the Order, but she refused you and angered you. So you killed her.'' Zed told her, and she nodded at him. He knew these were pure lies. This didn't sounded like Akyo at all. He knew way to many years have passed since they last time met, but she wasn't the type to change. Yet, something told him it would be better to show no emotion towards this event whatsoever. He turned his attention towards the fray, just as Zayenn did. She didn't observed the small shadow stretching forward and draging the necklace into darkness.

Zed opened his eyes only to be greeted by darkness again. However, the moonlight that shone out the window to his right proved him to be awake. He propped himself onto his right elbow looking trough his room. He brought two fingers of his other hand to the bridge of his nose, pinching it to shoo away an incoming headache. It usually followed after such a dream.

He wasn't unfamiliar with dreams and nightmares. But this kind of nightmare bothered him a lot more than it should have. It had been plaguing his dreams in the following months after The Kinkou fell, but then it just didn't happen anymore. Until now.

He raised in a more comfortable position and closed his eyes. He had no idea why this 'nightmare' if he could call it that way, suddenly returned. Looking to his left, he saw a small nightstand next to his bed as he stretched one arm to search trough the contents of the small drawer it had. After a few minutes he retracted his arm and looked at the small thing in his palms.

A small necklace consisting of a black satin material which went around the owner's neck, with a small round white jewelry which had in the middle a stylized red 'S' . The only material memory he had left of her. He really didn't knew why he kept it. It only brought up painfull memories. And yet, he couldn't have let it there, and forget about it. As he looked at the jewel, he couldn't help but think of the newest trainee the order had.

She looked a lot like Akyo, and yet she was a far cry from her. This girl had blonde hair and brown eyes, and a sharp tongue to follow none the less. Akyo had brown hair and almost white irises, something that intrigued him a lot. She had always been a more of an introvert and a silent type. They were different but why they were so alike?

Yes, they both mastered that staff, but he knew it wasn't an unique weapon, letting aside the runic one Akyo used. Besides that and the familiarity in her fighting style, these two girls had nothing more in common. Akyo had swore to her mother to protect the balance of the world, while Yukine only soughts out to destroy it. There was something uncertain about Yukine. Zed felt like she was hiding something, but in the weeks to follow he will find out. Or the better said, the week to follow.

He remembered he had this one week to set things in order here before he left for the Institute. It wasn't his choice, but the summoners insisted that he had to live there so complications to summoning would be avoided. So he had only one week to see what this girl was hidding, if she had something to hide at all.

He turned his head to look at the clock. Observing the time, he couldn't help but let a slight cruel smirk spread across his face. She was a personal apprentice after all, and that meant 'special training schedule' . Oh, he couldn't wait to see if she was going to pull trough this.

~(o-o)~

Moonlight flowed softly trough the window. She was asleep on the bed on her left side, with a small hand coming to rest next to her face on the pillow. Her hair was let free, and Zed had to admit he had a hard time deciding if he should wake her up or not. Her face was serene, looking as peaceful as ever.

However, that changed when her brows furrowed. She looked uneasy about something, as she shifted her postion slightly. She mumbled something under her breath, and then her palm slowly turned into a fist as she looked... scared? He could see that she was having a dream of some sorts, but when she abruptly stood up with wide eyes and an audible gasp it was clear she had a nightmare.

It took her a while to realise what was going on. When she did, she let out a tired groan as she pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes closed and brows furrowed. When she was sure the headache wasn't comming anytime soon, she let her eyes wonder trough the room. When she landed them onto Zed's figure she looked surprised and confused about his presence.

''What are you doing here?'' she inquired, rubbing some sleep away from her eyes. Zed only stood a few feet away from her bed and let the same slightly cruel smirk play across his features.

''It's training time. Get up.'' he told her, as she looked him up and down. He donned a simple black suit consisting on a sleveless shirt and slightly baggy black pants and boots. A belt of the same color was around his waist and his face was free of his mask.

She did the mistake to look at his face. With some help from the moonlight, she saw his features for the very first time in years. Time surely had been kind to him, as the same messy brown bangs and deep crimson eyes she had never forgotten had remained slightly unchanged. He had much more masculine features, and the same annoying devilish smirk that sent her heart overdrive and melt her body plastered across his face. She had to stop herself from cursing out loud. He couldn't be more handsome, couldn't he?

Realising she had been staring for a while, she turned her head to look at the blanket, with an awkward clearing of her throat and an embarrased blush across her face. Zed's smirk grew more.

''It's...'' she glanced at the clock. ''Five o'clock. What it's so important that can't wait another... Let's just say three precious sleep hours?'' she asked him with an arched eyebrow, and a slight pleading spark in her eyes. He just gazed at her.

''You have half an hour. I'll wait outside.'' he said while turning around, and noted with another evil smile her groan of annoyance. It strucked another familiar chord. He remembered when... Zed shook his head. No more dwelling on the past. It would only bring out pain.

Half an hour later, Yukine exited her quarters with the same outfit she had the day prior, but without the cape. She had also took her staff with her, the same one which had the clear dent Zed's blade did to it. She turned around and saw Zed was a few feet away leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed. When he heard her close the door, he turned his head to look at her and opened his eyes.

He just arched his eyebrows, asking her if she was ready to go to which she replied with a nod. He took the lead, guiding her outside the order. She was just one foot behind and curiosity was getting the better of her, so she couldn't help but ask.

''So, where are we going?'' she asked him, and he ignored her for a while before replying.

''You'll see.'' he told her, as they just had passed the training grounds. They were heading for the woods, and the path they were taking was extremely and painfully familiar. Once they stopped, the time itself halted.

It had been years, but it was still the same thing. The big clearing with the dirt and logs. The big oak tree in the very back of it. Everything was still the same. Akyo tried to keep herself from looking anything but surprised. Way too many memories filled her head. Laughter echoed in her head. A distand, childish laughter. It belonged to her, but she knew she wasn't laughing. All kind of events that had taken place into this clearing, from the very first day they met, until the night she sought confort here were playing in front of her eyes like a movie. She wasn't participating in any action, she was just witnessing. Witnessing as she grew, as she evolved, as she fought and trained. As she loved and lost. Everything seemed like a painful nightmare, far away from the present. It felt strange, and yet she knew the truth. Eleven years had passed since she firstly visited this clearing. Eleven years had passed ever since she had loved for the first time. Eleven long years...

Zed was fully aware of her absence. Her eyes were distand, she was disconnected from reality. She really looked pained and hurt. Why would she? It wasn't like this clearing hold as many memories for her as it did for him. This simple clearing was his refuge from everything. When he needed peace and getting away from everything, he just came here. Even if it was painfull to bring back the ghostly memory of Akyo, and the time they had spent bonding over here, it was a bitter-sweet emotion. It pained him, and yet it felt just right. He couldn't find anywhere else the peace he found whenever he was here.

''So, what's this place?'' he heard Yukine ask and he refocused again.

''A secret place I found years ago. It's quiet and private. I do prefer to train alone.'' he explained to her and then spoke again . ''And it's the perfect place where to start your training.'' he saw her nod.

''With what do we start?'' she put one hand on her hip while the other was balancing the staff on the ground.

''You have speed and brains. Strength is something we have to work on, but for now we'll start with something that will help you control the techniques of the shadows better. It's called meditation.'' her mouth dropped.

''M-Meditation?'' Akyo couldn't believe her ears. H-he was teaching his students how to meditate?! It made sense and all, but meditation was something for inner balance, something Zed clearly hated. And yet, why did she felt like having a stone in her belly...

''Yes. Meditation. Never heard of it before?'' he asked her with arched eyebrows and she shook her head to clear some of the confusion.

''I-I did. But...'' she trailed off.

''But?''

''I heard it's something that's used to gain better self control and inner balance.'' Zed slightly narrowed his eyes, before he realised what she was hinting at.

''As stupid as it might seem, an old friend taught me this. Before I learnt how to meditate, I was a clumsy fighter. She told me I had potential, but I didn't had control over my powers. The old master had once tried to teach me but he failed. Yet, she succeeded.'' he explained to her, and Akyo's heart skipped beats everytime she heard him say 'she' or 'old friend'. She nodded to him.

''Alright. Makes sense.'' she said as she slowly sat on the ground. She crossed her legs and took her usual meditaion posture. She saw Zed was looking at her intriguedly and she had a moment of pause in her brain.

''So let me guess you know how it's done?'' he asked her. She delayed her response for a while but then nodded fastly. Zed also found himself a comfortable spot on the grass, just across her. He saw her close her eyes and slowly disconnect from the world. He, just like Akyo did the first time he meditated just looked at her and watched her. The sun started to rise slowly, bringing the first rays of warm light.

It all felt so strangely familiar. It felt like it was days ago that Akyo was meditating with him in this clearing almost everyday. How she always scolded him for faking his meditation sometimes. But how she always smiled kindly to him, how she always called him by his name, and laughed. That laugh... It still ringed clear in his ears.

He was The Master of Shadows. He was cold, merciless, calculated and relentless in his quest to make the Kinkous realise what they're trying so hard to defend is a lie. And yet, that's how he looked to others. He wasn't a crybaby himself either. But his past concerning a certain white eyed girl was bringing out one of the greatest emotional pains. He missed her. Deeply. He knew that when he came to attack the Order three years ago, she wasn't mortified by him, neither disgusted. No. She was just scared and confused. And if he might add, with another pang of pain, hurt. Her memory snoothed him. Even if it was painfull, he found pace and coolness in her memory. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes. Everything that defined her.

If only... she would still be alive.

He heard his name being called. He realised that he spaced out, and opened his eyes to look at Yukine who was calling him and waving a hand in front of his face.

''You doozed out. And I thought I was tired.'' she said with a slightly amused smile and he only scoffed at her with a roll of his eyes.

She sat back on her legs and looked at him. With a sigh and a slight roll of eyes she spoke.

''Listen, I know you're not somebody who trusts easily. But I assure you I'm a person who can keep it's mouth shut. If you feel like you need somebody to talk to, I'm listening.'' she told him, looking at him straight in the eye. He saw she was honest. He was tempted by it, but couldn't quite let it out this easily.

''That's very nice of you, but you have a lot of training to do before.'' she pouted a little, but got up none the less. They both readied themselves. Zed his blades, who he had brought to the clearing earlier, and Akyo her staff. It was time for serious bussiness.

~(o-o)~

Zayenn observed from afar the interaction between these two. Her eyes narrowed bruning holes in Yukine's head while she let out a small growl. Who was she thinking she could just show up and steal all the light?

Zayenn had always been Zed's right hand. She had always helped him make decisions, with the students, the box, everything. She had always been superior to all of them, and almost an equal to Zed. She wasn't emotionless however. She had feelings. At first, she just wanted nothing more than making sure she was safe, by standing at his side. However, after so many years she had started falling for The Shadow Master.

He was strong, intelligent, merciless, calculated, unbiased in his judgement by others. In other words the epitome of how all the men should be. And aside that devilishly handsome. She was trying hard to please him in everything she could. And by now, she was quite sure he had forgotten her unkept promise **(** **AN : Oh, the irony XD ) **. And yet, she couldn't help but feel that there's something off with this little girl.

She wasn't gealous! She was sure this girl had something to hide. She didn't liked her from the very first second she saw her. And the fact that Zed was one week away from officially being presented into the League only made the matters worse. She was just going to keep a close eye upon this girl's head, and make sure she didn't try anything.

''You can't fool me...'' she whispered to nobody in particular, and she felt her anger flare.

**AN : Soooooooo...Chapter 2. What'ya think? I'm sorry this came SO LATE, but I had an incredibly Writer's Block. So soz, pls forgive me. Anyway, letting those thoughts aside, some questions from the last chapter were answered. So Zayenn is pissed because another girl is messing with 'her man' . Of course she's just dreaming ... By now, nobody has yet to see trough Akyo's disguise which means my summoners does a good job ^*^.**

**Unfortunatelly, no romance yet. You do have that piece of a memory at the beggining, but for this week to follow, I dun think I'll write romance between these two. HOWEVER, Akyo wont leave The Shadow Order without giving Zed a goodbye present. Ooops, I spoiled a little :3. But I swear that the wait will be worth when these two will get down to bussiness * wink wink *.**

**Anywayzzz. To make up for being a lazy ass, I'm typing ch3 already, so it SHOULD come out sooner, but don't rely on that.**

**So, that's everything I wanted to say. AGAIN, sorry for the usual late update. I do want to keep the maximum gap of days between updates at four days. It does depend on my mood, but blehh. C'est la vie.**

**See you next time~~~! c:**


	4. Chapter 4: Encounter

**AN : Helloww. I'm back, sooner than expected xD. So, get tissues ready and while I'm gonna.. *gets a huge helmet and puts it on head, while speaking with muffled voice* I'm gonna prepare myself for the executors you guys will become I'll also warn you. Feels chapter, it's filled with feels. From both Akyo and Zed. But I guess you can say a good news is that I'll probably just make another two chapters for The Shadow Order part, since it's only a week, there's just so much my brain can do. However, when Akyo will leave it will be a sweet moment, and then she'll join the League too! Yay~! And of course, we start with the drama again, might as well change adventure with that xD.**

**Disclaimer : I own the bold writting.**

_~Time skip 2 days~_

There is light in darkness chapter 3

Morning light filled The Shadow Order. While others were barely waking up, and going on with their bussiness, some were already talking important matters. Well, more like close to an argument. It was an understatement to say they were having a more of a 'fiery' conversation.

''Why can't I come with you?'' a feminine voice asked, and a sigh was soon to follow.

''Why would you want to come?'' Zed asked, a little surprised and annoyed. Yukine dead panned at him. They were in The Master's office. Not much had changed. The room was in essence the same, with the desk in the middle and all the cabinets filled with scrolls and documents. However, probably Zed had picked the new color for the walls : grey. Zed had all his usual armor, save for his helmet. He was leaning on the desk with his arms crossed looking at Yukine.

She was dressed in the same outfit she always wore, but she had her cloak over her shoulders. It seems she had woken up early this time, the exact day he had no training planned for her at all, and decided to search for him. Zed was preparing to leave for a 'meeting' at the League. The High Council had some bussiness to discus with him, and Yukine wanted to join the party.

''First, you have yet to tell me where you're leaving. I'm extremely curious to hear what had made you cancel waking me up in the middle of the night. It must be important. And secondly, I do wish to know about your were abouts.'' she explained to him, his expression indiferent as ever.

''Don't tell me you're worried.'' he said slightly amused, with a smirk on his face. Yukine narrowed her eyes slightly at him and tried to keep her composture. She hated those smirks when she was young, and her opinion hadn't changed at all. She felt that way towards them for a sole reason, they always sent her heart in a race.

''Of course I am. I'm worried to what will happen if you never return. Trust me, you wont believe what things I can hear.'' she said, and Zed shook his head slightly.

''Look, it's very cute for you to worry. But I'm a grown up boy, I can take care of myself. Zayenn will be here to keep things in order while I'm gone.'' he said as he truned to get the helmet on the desk.

''Yay, that surely IS great.'' she said while rolling her eyes. Truth be told, Akyo had never left Zed's side ever since joining the order. Let it be three days or so, she was always there, one step behind him. Neither he or Zayenn as it seemed suspected anything, which was a bonus.

Coming to think about her sister, it seems that she didn't bothered hiding her distaste for Akyo at all. But they had yet to talk in all this time. Akyo had noted with awe that her sister had improved over the years. It didn't took her more than mere seconds to kill her enemy, her own skill rivaling Zed's own. She also noticed that the first seal on her left arm was gone, which meant she had full access to all of her powers. Considering Zed had inherited the oldest and the most powerful powers of a Shadow Born, that was something to fear. But being disguised brought her newfound confidence. Since Zayenn had no idea who she actually was, Akyo stopped cowering in fear at her sister's glares. More, she started sending them back, tenfold.

''It's a pity I didn't get to see you sending tired glares to the back of my head, but if that's what you're actually worried about I'll wake you up earlier tomorrow.'' Zed told Akyo, as she woke up from her thinking. He put his helmet over his head and walked towards the door. Akyo followed him out of the office. The hallways seemed empty, but as soon as the big double doors of the order opened, a rather interesting image greeted them.

The main courtyard was filled with Zed's students. They had of course heard that their master was leaving. Zayenn was in front of them all, her arms as usually crossed. She waited until both Zed and Yukine descended the stairs and then unfolded her arms.

''They wanted to say good-bye.'' she said, while motioning with her head towards the students. The all bowed from their waists. Zed smirked underneath his mask.

''I'm leaving for a meeting at the Insitute. It seems High Summoner Vessaria wishes to discus the rules of the League with me, in detail. I should be back by sundown.'' he explained to Zayenn, who nodded. She turned sharply towards the students, who vanished almost imediately. Akyo watched all the exchange with slightly widened eyes and a blink.

It wasn't long before Zed vanished himself. Silence surrounded the girls, as they watched eachother in the eye. Zayenn sent Akyo a cold glare, and Akyo just hold her gaze. Akyo turned around to walk inside the Order, not seeing the death face Zayenn had.

She watched the other girl leave, her gaze never faltering. She thought herself to be so safe and above the others, just because from a reason Zed simply refused to tell her, he had picked this girl as a personal apprentice. Her anger flared at the mere thought of this girl face. So mockingly indiferent and unaffected, like her place by Zed's side was more than assured. Zayenn wasn't having all of that.

There was going to be only one person standing by his side, and if that meant she had to take care of this girl like she did to her sister three years ago, she wont hesitate.

~(o-o)~

Akyo sighed as she jumped a few metters away from the trainning dummy. She could say her fighting technique had improved a lot since she came to the Shadow Order. She couldn't deny, it was fun and nostalgic to train with Zed again. She noted with amusement his surprise when she could parry almost all of his attacks. It was hard when he started summoning shadows, to test her strenght but she still amazed him none the less.

As to her sister, things hadn't been usual lately. She had always been intimidated by her sister. It seems this disguise brought her new found confidence. She couldn't count on her fingers all the hot glares Zayenn had send her these few days. Akyo was positive she had done something to piss her off, but she had no idea what. However, she was curious to find out, so she could do it again.

But there, in the back of her head there was still that small fear. That they will discover her identity. What will she do then? How will they even react? They believed she was dead and gone, and she was pretty sure she didn't became a ghost. Akyo shook her head. It wasn't time to worry about such cordial things. The spell was bound to keep completely for another four days. She was about to jump at the dummy again, but a voice stopped her from doing so.

A slight scoff resonated in the silence. ''So you're not lazy as I believed.'' a feminine voice said from within the shadows. Akyo looked around in an attempt to find the source. Once she landed her eyes on it, she narrowed them, her brows furrowing. She kept silent.

Zayenn smiled underneath her mask, as she steped out of the shadows. She had a rather amused face, her emerald green eyes seemed bored. She had her arms crossed over her chest, looking nonchalantly towards Akyo.

''If that's the best you've got, I have no idea why Zed picked you as a personal apprentice.'' she told her, as a death glare was sent her way. She let it slide off, her posture being exact the same. Her smile grew behind her mask as she noted Yukine's obvious annoyance.

''Atleast I'm not walking around, pretending to be all high and mighty. You talk much, but you don't have the courage to bite.'' Akyo retorted her, and saw Zayenn's face darken considerably. She gulped softly but kept her stance. No more cowarding in front of the big sister. It was time to face her demons.

''Listen up.'' Zayenn said in a cold, low tone. Her eyes were narrowed and glaring into Akyo's own. While Akyo returned the glare with just as much danger, she swore she saw Zayenn's eyes slightly widen, her posture changing from dangerous to... surprised?

Zayenn held her breath. She couldn't believe it. She watched this girl in the eyes, and for a moment she swore she saw a flash of brown hair and white eyes glaring at her accusingly. The face of her dead sister was set in a deep frown, her eyes burning dangerously. Her glare was accusing her, making her feel guilty for killing her. It had happened so sudden and it had been so random, Zayenn heard herself speak without her own accord.

''Akyo?'' she softly wishpered, and she saw Yukine tense up considerably. She looked at her with scared and slightly wide eyes. She looked panicked. Zayenn frowned a little at the girls sudden panic. 'Why..?' she thought. 'It's not like she knows who I'm talking about...'. Regaining her composture, Zayenn returned to her death glare, but Yukine's face just turned in slight surprise.

''I could care less about you.'' she told Yukine, as she crossed her arms over her chest. ''The one I'm worried about here is Zed.'' she told her, and she saw Yukine roll her eyes.

''Ain't that sweet? You actually have emotions.'' she told Zayenn in a cold tone. In one second, from being a straight ten meters away, now they were centimeters apart.

''You're not who you're pretending to be.'' she said, close to a growl. Yukine just glared at her, and kept silent. ''I know you're hiding something. I didn't liked you from the very second I saw you.''

''Be sure the feeling it's shared by both of us.'' Yukine replied coldly. Zayenn narrowed her eyes even more.

''I'll keep a close eye on you. I don't care who or what you are, but I'm not going to let you do what you wish.'' she took a pause before speaking again. ''And trust me, if you're a spy you're never going to see your employer again.'' she finished, before turning around sharply and leaving the training grounds.

She was trying hard to keep hidden how actually shaken she was by that vision of hers. It had never happened before. Seeing her sister's face in such a way... It was imposible for one to NOT feel guilty. Her eyes were filled with anger and betrayal, tears slowly going down her cheeks. The image remained printed in Zayenn's brain. She was sure to have nightmares.

Akyo took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart as well as her brain. Great. So Zayenn somehow knows something. She had to be extra carefull now, since she was suspected by Zayenn to be a spy. She couldn't fail this mission, for the sake of her life! And she wasn't going to let Zed find out about this.

Coming to think about the Shadow Master, she instinctively reached for somewhere under the brown leather belt she wore. Once her hand clasped around the object she sought out, she brought it up to the slowly dying light of the sun. The charm she had received ten years ago was looking brand new, just as it looked ten years ago when she received it. She had taken extra care for this piece of memory. It reminded her of the good days, of the Lunar Revel and especially that dream who still made her cheeks slightly pink.

It sort of gave her a hope. Hope that one day she and Zed will look past their statuses, their differences and be kids once more. That day, she wanted to forget about the Kinkou, the balance, everything. She wanted to forget about the life she had taken up when she had won the trial. She desperately wanted to take a break from all of it, and spend nothing more than one day with Zed. Without political differences, threats to the balance or her life. She wanted to be innocent and foolish once more and give her heart complete freedom. She looked forward for that day. To see her old lost friend again. And maybe... She turned her eyes to gaze at the stars who started showing their little shiny faces, while a sad smile played across her face.

'And maybe give our hearts a chance once more...' she thought to herself, her face gazing tenderly at the sky. But the moment was ruined, when her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed in some sort of confusion. Then, her eyes widened. With an audible gasp, she placed the charm back in it's place before turning around and taking a mad dash in the darkness.

~(o-o)~

Disscussing rules with the High Council was probably the worst and the most boring thing in the entire universe. Zed would have wilingly spent a day in The Kinkou than having Vessaria - pardon, High Summoner Vessaria as she told him multiple - painfully multiple - times to call her that way and remind him at every five minutes that it's completely forbbiden to attempt to kill or severly hurt any champion of the League. But he really wasn't hurring up to the order either. It was dark, the moon already on the sky, hence the darkness of the forest made it nice for a walk. Returning too soon would mean he'd have Zayenn on his head again.

She was a very competent fighter, and a good leader. She guided and trained the students with an iron fist, when Zed wasn't able to. She had always tried to help him and please him in almost every matter. He could've cared less. He knew in essence who she actually was, so the sweet smiles and personality she put up whenever near him, weren't having their desired effect.

However, there was something surrounding this Yukine girl, something he could not describe. He couldn't quite place a finger on it, but it felt familiar. The way she speaks to him like they know eachother for a lifetime, and he finds it extremelly comfortable that way. It's weird, but he feels like he can trust this girl. Not completely and not with big things, but there is this slight trust he has in her. She doesen't treats him like her master. She treats him more like her friend. And Zed had no idea if this should be bad or good.

He was so deep in thought he had not heard the slight footsteps behind him. They were soft and never meant to be heard, but when one made the mistake to step on a twig, the Shadow Master stopped. He didn't turn his head, but looked around him. He saw the shiny blades of what it seemed like ten or eleven ninjas, and they were just in his field of vision. They were dark clothed, but they were different from the ones in The Shadow Order. He couldn't help the low growl that escaped his throat.

''Kinkous...'' he whispered dangerously, as the movements became louder in the darkness.

One unsheated his blade, and jumped from the darkness, aiming for Zed's back. Instead he just hit a black mass, and soon a cold blade slashed his throat, rendering him lifeless. Another came from Zed's right, as he grabbed the ninja by his weapon, and pulled it. The result was the ninja's abdoment being pierced by Zed's stretched blade. Throwing away the ninja's weapon and shoving his body aside, Zed was aware that they were many than he could count.

Another two tried to make a dash for him, but he jumped and threw two shurikens that got both of them in the middle of their heads, dropping down on the ground lifeless. When he landed on the ground in a crouched position, he dodged one blade aimed for his head and strectched one foot out to trip the other's balance. Soon, the ninja felt the cold steel of the blade tearing his neck apart, as he dropped on the ground.

Zed stopped as three ninjas pointed their blades at him. They had him surrounded and aside them, another four were starting to slowly approach them. He knew he wasn't gonna be able to take all of them down and escape unharmed. He had to think of a way to trick them. But he was sure they had learnt to dodge shadows, and they got him in a somesort of another clearing in the forest. The nearest shadow was one of a tree, and it was a solid fifteen meters away. He couldn't win, considering he was also low on energy.

But it seemed his lucky stars were on a roll tonight, as a muffled gasp was heard from those four ninjas who were approaching them. Now there were only three more. They looked baffled at one another, and not long after another one was swallowed by a moving darkness. Zed saw that his attackers started to panick. One who was in front of him before he turned around, now was competely gone. He turned his head again to look at the remaining ninjas but as he looked past them in the darkness, he held his breath.

Brown hair flowing gracefully and white eyes were looking at the ninjas in front of her. Zed's eyes widened slightly behind his mask, surprise and uncertainty filling them, as well as his brain. He was having visions, he told himself, in an attempt to grasp what he was seeing. She was dead, wasn't she? Taking good a second look, he saw blonde braided hair and brown eyes looking at him expectantly. When he gave a slight nod who went unnoticed by the ninjas, Yukine wasted no time and jumped from her hideout in the dark. She brought her staff to strike one ninja across his head hard, rendering him unconcious, and when the other attempted to hit her, she jumped a few feet back and gave her staff a small twirl before repeating the process. This one's head snapped at ninety degress, his neck broken. When she looked at Zed, the other two were laying in a pool of blood, deep gashes in their backs.

While she tried to make her way trough the blood and corpses Zed was soon to voice his thoughts.

''How did you know?'' he asked her, and she looked blankly at him.

''About this?'' she said while gesturing towards the corpses. ''I had no idea.''. She took a small pause before continuing. ''You said you should be back before sundown. As you see, it's long time past your curfew.'' she amusedly said, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

''Well, I guess I should be gratefull you came after me.'' he said while Yukine just nodded. She saw he was a little off, something was bothering him deeply.

''Hey, something's wrong? You look like you've saw a ghost.'' she said while approaching him. She just stood a few feet away from him, a worried look across her features.

''I guess you can put it that way...'' he mumbled, more to himself but she heard it. Taking another step forward she looked up to him.

''What happened?'' she asked him, her voice filled with concern. He looked at her, wondering if he should tell her or not. There was nobody else willing to listen to his problems now, was there?

''A familiar face of the past flashed before my eyes not long ago...'' he explained as he turned his head to look forward trough the darkness. She saw slight pain in his eyes. Her own brows furrowed in slight confusion. Who was he talking about?

''Who was it?'' Yukine asked him, her own curiosity begging for answers. He took his time before his responded.

''It was... Or better said she was... My only regret...'' he explained slowly, and Akyo's heart jumped in her chest. He wasn't talking about...

''Your only regret?'' she inquired and saw Zed closing his eyes. On instict she put one hand on his chest, a gesture meant to comfort him. He didn't moved away. ''Is this the 'she' you kept telling me about?'' Zed nodded.

''She was my first friend, and probably the only person who ever really cared for me in this entire world.'' he told Akyo, and she felt her eyes water.

'She still does...' she thought sadly to herself.

''What happened to her?'' she took a small pause, trying to keep her voice at a normal level and not letting it crack. ''Or better said where is she now?'' she asked, and saw he started to move away from her, turning towards the order. Her hopes came crashing down on the ground, as she thought she was never getting to know the answer. However, he paused and looked up to the sky before answering.

''She's an angel now, and I'm a demon.'' he replyed, before he started walking forward, darkness swallowing him.

Akyo couldn't keep her tears at bay anymore, and let them fall freely on her face. She just stared sadly at the ground, finding her support on the staff. It hurt so damn much. He regretted her death. He did! He didn't wanted her to die for a single moment. This little confesion was enough to heal a great amount of scars. And yet what hurt her it was the fact she couldn't help him. She couldn't tell him the truth, so he wont regret anymore. She had no idea how she will manage trough the rest of four days, but she just wanted to finish this.

By now, nothing connected to what Master Reiko had asked her to get didn't showed up. Zed didn't planned anything against The Kinkou, or the balance of the world... for now.

But then she realised. Reiko said if she was going to succeed in this mission she will be able to join the League. And Zed already had. What will happen then? If he didn't found out now, he will find out later. She was scared by this thought, wondering how will he react. Will he be happy to see her alive? Will he be mad? Will he show if he even cares anymore?

'No...' she thought. She had pained him such a great deal of time, it was selfish of her to even think he was going to just come at her, and tell her how much he missed her. No, she had to get herself ready for the worst, but for now...

She turned her head to look in the direction Zed left, she wiped the tears from her cheeks, and let a small sad smile play across her features. Enjoy his friendly presence as long as you can, she told herself before she followed his way.

**AN : YOU HAVE TO BE PROUD OF ME. This was A LOT smaller when I finished typing it yesterday, so I fought with my brain, added some more description and thoughts and stuff like that so it would fufill your desires. Dem feel~ I dun hate you guys, BUT I NEED DEM FEELS.**

**I hope I didn't make you too sad, and I also hope you're not gathering to find out where I live, pay me a 'visit' and execute me for writting such a depressing chapter. **

**So many reviews, it makes me cry of happiness. I just love you guys. They keep me moving forward, and make me be a lot more stern towards my writting, so I wont dissapoint you.**

**Shoutouts to those I couldn't reply :3 . The rest help yourselfs with those *jerks finger back towards a table filled with sweets***

**Spazway2 : Here it is. DON'T KILL ME, I BEG YOU. I just can't help it. Pissing Zayenn off it's fun, extremely fuuunn. She wont back out until the very end, but Zed and Akyo would have enjoyed romance by that time. Fluff is on the way~~ And pls dun die ;-;**

**Coski : I'm sorry for being so lazy. I hope you get to fix whatever problems you got. I'm glad my fic it's taking your mind off them for a bit. For you I'll stop being a little whiny lazy ass and write faster. This chapter had probably fufiled that wish you let me in the review? Did ya liked it :3 ?**

**NEXT TIME, ON XPERYA WRITES FANFICTION : EXTREMELY POOR WRITEN SEQUEL CHAPTER 4 : MORE MEMORIES AND MORE FEELS.**

***waves* See ya :D.**


	5. Chapter 5: A Fight

**AN : H-Hi guys... *weird silence* . Look, I know I'm extremely late with this chapter, b-but hey, it's long a-and I'm drowning in chemistry and physiscs books so yeah.. Erm I don't want to start rambling and make you wait, cuz we have an interesting chapter ahead.**

**Disclaimer : My grammar mistakes are the best! *-***

There is light in darkness chapter 4

Good weather blessed the land of Valoran. The bright sun in the skies spreading warmth to the ground below, with a beautiful cloud free blue sky. One of the many forests Ionia had to offer was just as quiet as the others. But that's what it looked on the outside. Deep within the forest, an old building stood proudly. A newcomer would've mistaken it as the Head Quarters of the well known order of the city state. Renowned for protecting the balance, mantaining peace trough the world. However, a black plaque with a bold crimson writting stood at the entrance, the three words written on it enough to clear the confusion and send the visitors away.

The sound of clashing steel and mighty cry battles resounded from within the courtyard. Inside the students were training, while the others watched in order to learn from previous battles, and be more prepared when their turn was to come. Gathered in a crowd, with the battle taking place in the middle with enough space for the two ninjas to fight, in the front line three rather more shadowy than the others figures were standing.

One man stood tall, clad in grey and crimson armor with a strange mask on top of his head, hiding his face from view. Two metal shurkines adorned his back, while he had two rather strange gauntlets on his hands. The blades the gauntlets possesed were retracted, the man being able to have his arms crossed. On either side of him, two women stood just as still as he did, observing the students.

One of them had short black hair, gathered in a small ponytail, two bangs left to frame either side of her face. Emerald green eyes shone from behind them, while a black mask with four red stripes, two on each side of it covered her face. A black cape, with a red symbol on it's back adorned her shoulders, a sleveless black shirt, along with grey leather tight pants and over the knee black boots. Two small fingerless black gloves protected her hands, and a brown leather belt, along with a piece of round material in the middle, having inscriptioned in red ink the letters ''SO''. The hilt of a sword popped somewhere near her crossed arms, the long sheath of the sword promising painfull death.

The other had a cloak along with a hood to cover her body almost completely save for the knee long grey boots she wore. She like everybody wore a black mask, and under the cloak she wore a simple black blouse and shorts to match. Leather brown defenders were on her knees and elbows and a pair of small fingerless black gloves were on her hands as well. On her back, a long wooden staff with two sharp peaks and covered in dents was hold by a holster which went from her left shoulder diagonally to her right hip. She had long blonde hair, going down her back in a braided tail, and her brown chocolate eyes seemed distant.

She had been losing focus frequently past these three days. Ever since that small 'confesion' she had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. Sure, she still started train early in the morning and returned late in the night. But, it was all mechanical, her brain was lost in the mist of her thoughts. Things had been relatively cool between she and Zed. He seemed to trust her a little more than before, seeing that she kept her word and everything that had been discused had remained a secret.

And yet, she couldn't bring herself to get closer. Everytime she spoke to him, it all felt familiar. Every little argument, conversation, everytime he teases her or she teases him, it all made her feel nostalgic, but it also brought pain. He had no idea who she actually was. But she had gained his trust back, even if it was a little. Maybe if she told him the truth when they would meet at the Institute, he wont be as cold as she expected. Or will he be even colder.

But those thoughts weren't the ones bothering her so badly. It was another thought, or better said, a certain phrase Zed had spoke back that night. It haunted her, replaying in her brain like a broken movie. He was standing with his back at her, looking up to the skies, like he was searching for her eyes when he spoke. Then, he just left. And it would start from begining again, and again, and again. It surely kept her up sometimes at night, making her brain think the actual meaning of it. And she found it.

_'She's an angel now, and I' m a demon.' _she heard it again. At first, it confused her. Alright, calling her an angel made some sort of sense. It made her blush softly at the thought of Zed seeing her that way. But calling himself a demon made no sense whatsoever to her.

Zayenn had told her almost four years ago that Zed had sentenced her to death. She knew back that day it was a lie, but with all the situation going on, she believed it for a second. And that second brought her close to Keyan again. Yet, with the words she shared with her mother, she had the hope it was a lie, and she was determined to find out the truth. And she believed the League would be able to help her.

She had heard of the summoners. Maigcal talented people, who were able to teleport champions from any place to the Fields of the Institute. She thought that with a little bit of help from a summoner, some way or another she could find out what had actually been going trough Zed's mind at the moment when he attacked The Kinkou Order. It seems summoners are able to create a telepathic connection between themselves and their champions. Also they are able to go trough ones memories. A little unorthodox, she knew. But she also absolutely had to find out the truth, or she could never be peaceful again.

But as she thought of this, she really wasn't aware, but Zed's phrase started to make more sense as the time went by. Just as she reviewed for the thousand time the conversation they had that night, it was then when it hit her. Everything connected.

The pain and sadness in his eyes. Even after so much time, she could read him like an open book.

_'My only regret...'_

Regret. Regreting her suposed death.

_'She was my first friend, and probably the only person who ever really cared for me in this entire world.'_ it ranged clearly as bells in her ears.

Her death pained him. More that it should have. There was that thing in his eyes, something she could not understand. But now it was all clear why Zed was affected by her death so badly. He found himself guilty of it.

Before she could continue her train of thought a deep voice woke her up from her thinking. Blinking and looking to her left to see Zed watching her, she slowly realised he had spoken to her. Best way to get out of this kind of situation : play the fool.

''Where you talking to me?'' Yukine asked with a slight tilted head, her face confused. Zed dead panned at the girl.

''No I was talking to your shadow.'' he answered sarcastically, and saw Yukine wanting to give him a witty reply, but he cut her off. ''Of course I was talking to you.''

''I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention.'' she said, her face indiferent this time. Zed sighed inwardly before repeating the question.

''Want to give it a shot?'' he asked, and saw Yukine narrow her eyes and furrow her brows in confusion. He tilted his head towards the students that were now fighting, and she looked and them. Her expression lighted, but there a certain uneasiness across it.

''Not sure...'' she said, as she bit her bottom lip underneath her mask. Zed approached her a little.

''Come on, you've fought them before.'' he said a lower tone, and she looked at him. After a few seconds of uncertainity, she gave him a determined look, which made him smirk beneath his mask. He turned his head towards the students, earning a curious glance from Zayenn.

''You can stop now.'' he announced, as the two students, a male and a female, had interrupted any kind of activity to pay their fullest attention to their master. They bowed from their waists and joined the crowd of students. Small murmurs could be heard from within, and Akyo felt herself grow more and more scared by the second. Zed slightly turned his head to motion for her to move forward, and so she did.

Sitting alone in the middle of the ground, she looked at Zed and saw he was scanning the crowd. After a few moments of thinking, he looked at three ninjas, and soon they made their way out of the crowd. She recognised them to be the ones she had faced six days ago, and they were all glaring at her. She returned them tenfold.

Zayenn looked curiously at Zed, wondering what he had in planned in his mind. When the three ninjas stepped out of the crowd, she scoffed silently. Even if she disliked the idea, she was pretty sure who would win this battle.

The silence was palpable, the thickness of the air unbearable. Akyo's heart pounded in her chest, never before being so uneasy. The three ninjas looked at her, searching for her weaknesses when Zed's voice was heard again.

''Get ready.'' he said, and Akyo tensed. She slightly bend her back, and tried to relax her muscles. Her hand instinctively moved under her cape, prepared to grab the staff. She focused her attention on the ninjas in front of her, when she heard it.

''FIGHT.'' Zayenn shouted out loud, for everybody to hear. As soon as the word left her mouth, Akyo grabbed her staff istantly, just in time to block a sword. Pushing the ninja backwards, she put some distance between them, before she jumped to get him. When she landed her staff hit the ground.

She waisted no time, and turned around to block another strike. The second ninja wanted to slash her back, but she wasn't having any of it. Instead she repeated the motion she did with the other ninja, but instead of puting distance, she took advantage of the momentum and striked the ninja across the head hard. He backed away with trembling steps, trying to get out of the daze. She continued in this manner, trying to keep them at bay and not let them surround her. Pretty hard considering she couldn't use her Shadow Born powers.

After what seemed like a few hours, altho it had been just a mere half an hour, she was standing a solid five meters away from the three ninjas, with cuts and bruises over her body. They also had cuts and bruises, and nothing too life threatening, since they learned it's better to keep distance.

One of them wanted to start fighting again, but a shiny long sword stopped him. Stretched horizontally in front of his chest, the sword was enough to stop any thought of future action. The three ninjas looked confusedly and slightly surprised at the owner of the sword, but the cold and emotionless gaze she shot them, immediately made them nod slowly.

Zayenn hold the blade in front of the ninja with her right hand, stopping him from any further action. The other rested on the sheath of the sword, while she made sure she had the ninjas' total attention. Akyo also watched with surprise the exchange of unspoken words, wondering just what had her sister in mind. Zed watched intriguedly the entire situation, the same thought passing his mind.

''You can stop.'' she said in a cold tone, and the three ninjas nodded again. Her face turned from indiferent to angered, and the three slowly gulped, praying she wont take their lives. ''I can't deny there is progress, but it's a shame not even three of you aren't able to take her down.'' she said while glaring at the three students in front of her, and motioning with her head towards Akyo. ''You only avoided being injured severly by her, but nothing more. Disappear.'' she growled the last word, and the three vanished before her eyes. Letting her arm fall next to her body, she turned slightly to look at Akyo.

Akyo gulped as slowly as possible, trying to ignore the small bead of sweat forming on her right temple. She could see in her sister's eyes a burning vengance that could even send Master Reiko in panic. Her glare was hot, filled with anger and wish for blood, Akyo had even considered dropping the entire act, vanish before their eyes and never return in order to save her life. She immediately dissmised the idea, straightening her stance and trying to hold her sister's gaze. When she turned completely, now that her body faced her own, it seemed as if the time itself had stopped. The students were not moving in the slightest, silence flowing in the thick air.

But then Zayenn 'hmph'-ed indignantly before she reached with her right hand to do something that took everybody by surprise. She reached and unclasped her cape, sending it down on the ground. She pointed her sword at Akyo before speaking.

''You have had enough fun playing around with those fools. You handle multiple oponents fairly good and you know how to keep yourself going. But how about we take it to the next step?'' she slightly tilted her head to the right while her eyes were narrowed and a cruel smile spread behind her mask. Akyo gulped again, slightly lowering her head, tyring to keep herself together. The dark aura her sister radiated was making her nauseous.

''And by that you mean?'' she asked, seeing the slight amused spark in her sister's eyes. Her head returned to it's original position, and the aura surrounding her became more sinister, despite the slight sweet tone her voice had.

''By taking up a better opponent of course. And while I'm sure Zed hasn't showed you the slightest mercy ever since you started training, I do wish to see with my own two eyes the power you posses.'' her gaze lowered, face darknening and tone going extremely cold and low. Yet when she spoke, she said it loud and clear for everybody to her. ''Are you brave enough to pick up the challenge?''

Akyo reached at the pin which hold the cloak and opened it, removing it from her shoulders and sending it down on the ground, the same fashion Zayenn did to hers. She could see the glint of pleasure in Zayenn's eyes. While her face remained impassive, and now her legs who were covered in cuts and bruises were revealed, she really wasn't sure what pleased her more : the fact that they will fight or that she was injured. She hold the staff in her right hand, close to her body. Her breathing was even, and again silence stretched across the grounds while the two sisters watched each other in the eyes.

And then it happened. Zayenn charged forward, as Akyo leaped towards her. Her staff collided with Zayenn's sword with an audible sound. Both put pressure in their attacks, in order to send the other tumbling. They jumped away from each other and repeated the process. Zayenn tried to strike Akyo, but she dodged all of her attacks, leaping gracefully trough the air. It certainly left some of the students in awe. Even Zed was impressed.

Akyo ran towards Zayenn, preparing to strike from the left. She leaped into the air and brought her staff with force, but Zayenn blocked it. She jumped back, putting distance between she and her sister. The next time they clashed, Zayenn was starting to slowly take the lead. Akyo cringed as she felt pain shooting trough her body, from the previous wounds. As Zayenn gave a push with a cry, Akyo leaped backwards, landing in a crouched position.

Not giving her time to rest, Zayenn ran up to her, and Akyo quickly raised to her feet. Zayenn brought her sword to strike Akyo from the left side, and she used her staff to block it. However, when Zayenn put all her strenght in the blow, Akyo's staff cracked in two. With an audible gasp, and the fear of certain death written across her face, Akyo watched as all all the events went in slow motion.

Zayenn's glaring eyes, looking straight into her own. As they faced one another, Zayenn spinned and with another battle cry, she cut Akyo diagonally across her chest. From up to her left shoulder between her breats and down to her right hip. Akyo's eyes widened, as she felt pain searing trough her body, her scar quivering, as she could feel blood dripping out of it. However, the pain was severe only on her left shoulder, but the strike had surely opened her old scar slightly.

With a cry of pain, Akyo dropped down on the ground on her knees. She grabbed at her shoulder, trying to stop the blood and block the pain. Zayenn looked down at her, her sword awfully close to Akyo's head. As Akyo cringed, and shut her eyes in an attempt to not let tears of pain go down her cheeks, she didn't observed how close Zayenn was. When she raised her head to look at Zayenn, pain written clearly across her own, with an almost closed eye and furrowed brows, she saw the cold heartless gaze Zayenn send her. Then, she slowly raised the sword, and Akyo's eyes widened.

'No... She's going to kill me again...' she thought franatically, as a tear escaped down her cheek. When Zayen's sword started coming down she closed her eyes, and dropped her head preparing for the worst. However, the clash of steel on steel made her open her eyes, as well as the fact that nothing had yet to happen. When she did, she raised her eyes to look at Zed's back, one of his blades blocking Zayenn's sword from executing Akyo. Akyo's mouth was open behind her mask, as she stared empty minded at the scene.

''You're taking it too far.'' Zed told Zayenn, as his eyes narrowed dangerously. Zayenn seemed slightly surprised, but she anticipated that this would happen.

''Got caught in the heat of the moment.'' she explained indiferently, as she sheathed her sword. Turning around and walking towards her cape, she took it off the ground and started to dust it off. Once she was satisfied, she put it on her shoulders and saw that everybody was trying to comprehend the situation.

''What?'' she asked, mostly the stundets who averted their gazes down. ''Training is over. You're dissmised.'' she said, and they all nodded. One by one they vanished. Once they left, she turned to look at Zed and Yukine. Zed was still standing protectively in front of her, as she clutched her wound. Zayenn's shot her scared eyes one more cold glance before turning around an leaving.

Both Yukine and Zed watched her leave. Once she was out of sigh, Yukine let out a relieved sigh, her muscles relaxing a little. She immediately cursed, as she hissed in pain, clutching her wound tighter. Zed turned to look at her, and saw the crimson color on her hand.

''You're alright?'' he asked her, and she looked slightly surprised at him.

''I'll be fine. I had worst.''. 'In the exact same way', she added in her mind. Zed slowly helped her stand, as she let out another hiss of pain. He tried to help her walk, but she waved him off with an amused face.

''My shoulder is hurt, not my legs. Well, atleast they're not extremely injured.'' she said as she slowly made her way towards the order, Zed by her side helping her reach her apartment. When she finally got in, she let out another sigh as Zed closed the door behind them. He saw she was heading towards the bathroom.

''Want me to help you out?'' he asked, not realising the other meaning of the question. He started looking trough a cabinet in the living room. All students had first aid kits there. Akyo turned around to look at him, a slight blush spread across her face. She thanked God she was facing his back.

''N-No. I can take care of it myself ya'know.'' she said, slightly embarassed. She saw him nod slightly, and she turned around to continue her way to the bathroom. She entered, and closed the door behind her.

She slowly removed her hand from her shoulder, seeing in was crimson red. She looked around a cabinet that was in the bathroom and looked for a cloth with her clean hand. Once she found the desired object, she walked to the sink and removed her blouse slowly, taking off her mask as well. Pain shot trough her left side, making it almost impossible. She managed to take it off however. She saw that the white bustier she wore was drenched in blood and gave out an annoyed sigh. She was sure her clothes won't be saved.

Removing it, she turned on the sink and slowly washed the blood away from her right hand. After than she put the cloth under the flush, drenching it. After, she squeezed the water out of it and started to slowly clean her wound. She would let out a hiss here and there, but after she was done, she saw the pink open flesh of her new scar in the mirror, seeing herself down to her breasts. Observing that the bleeding stopped for now, she searched trough the cabinet once more. She always kept a pair of spare clothing there, and with a small happy 'aha!' she retrieved another bustier. Slowly putting it on, she washed the cloth one last time, before leaving it on the edge of the sink. Picking up her clothes with the intent of throwing them away, she opened the door of the bathroom and stopped right at the entrance of the living.

Zed, who had removed his mask, as well as all the weapons he had, his two shurikens on the back and his gauntlets was on the couch looking trough a first aid kit. Blushing a slight shade of pink, she stopped there and stared like a fool. Zed felt her presence and raised his head to look at her, standing there stunned.

''Umm, we'd better patch that up before it starts bleeding again.'' he told her with slightly arched eye brows. She slightly shook her head and looked indignantly at him.

''I can take care of such a wound by myself, thank you very much.'' she said, as she looked around for the trash can. Throwing her clothes there she saw Zed shake his head and sigh.

''If you were to do that, you'd do a poor job. Let me do it, it's not like I'll eat you or anything.'' he told her, and saw that she started walking towards him reluctantly. She let him patch up the wound, while looking embarassed the other way.

'Great, the last thing I need is my scar to open...' she thought bitterly and then her eyes widened with horror. 'My-my scar...' she chocked in her own mind. Zed wasn't probably suspicious of it, since it had healed along the years, it wasn't extremely visible. This calmed her nerves a bit, but then again she remembered with horror. 'Oh no. What about my seal?! It's just on my left shoulder blade, what if he sees it?!' she almost yelled desperately in her head. Her agitation didn't made her aware of the fact that Zed had finished patching up her wound. He looked confusedly at her, and snapped his fingers in front of her face.

''H-huh?'' she said, and looked to see Zed look at her.

''You alright? You seemed panicked and distant.'' she told her, and she immeadiately moved slightly away from him, grabbing her left shoulder again, looking fearful at him. Zed was uterly confused at the moment.

''Yukine, what's wrong?'' he asked her, and saw her hesitate.

''N-nothing.'' she replied. Zed sweat dropped.

''You're a terrible liar, have I ever told you that?'' he took a pause and then continued. ''Alright, tell me what's wrong with your shoulder.'' he asked and she looked down to the floor bitting her lower lip.

''It-it's something, a black scar of some sorts I don't want you to see...'' she explained slowly and heard an amused 'hmph'. She raised her eyes to look at Zed who had an amused smile on his face.

''Oh really?'' he asked, and saw her confusion grow. ''I didn't saw anything black on your shoulder.'' he told her, and saw relief wash over her.

''Y-you didn't?! Are you sure?'' she asked, even facepalming mentally for asking that.

''I'm sure. There is nothing on your shoulder Yukine.'' he said, and saw her visibly relax. She let out a breath, and looked away on the window. The sun started to go down.

''Thanks.'' she suddenly said.

''Hm?''

''Thanks ... for stopping Zayenn and helping me patch my wound. I owe you one.'' she said, and saw him think.

''I'll consider that...'' he let the sentence trail off, gaining an amused shake of head from Yukine. ''No need to.'' he told her, and saw her smile at him.

It was probably the first time she smiled that way. A pure, genuine smile of happiness and gratitude. And it felt so familiar. A giggle he remembered so well resounded in his mind. The only giggle capable of making his heart skip beats. He no longer saw Yukine in front of his eyes, but he saw the girl he missed the most.

Brown hair going down her shoulders, and ironically warm white irises gazing into his own. Those eyes that intrigued him. Those eyes that he loved so much. Unconsciously, he started leaning closer to Yukine, who looked slightly taken aback by his action. She tried to look away, the blush coming back to her face again. He stopped her from doing so, by softly grabbing her chin and returning eyes to look into his own.

This was probably the closest they had gotten across these days. And she wasn't complaining, but she could pass out at any moment. She missed those eyes. Deep, crimson eyes she had always loved. She slowly felt the world drift away, but her racing geart reminded her that this isn't kind of right. She blinked a few times and tried to gather her courage.

''Z-Zed?'' she asked slowly, and saw him blink too. He looked just as confused as her. ''What are you doing?'' she asked averting her gaze to the floor. Once realising what he was actually doing, Zed let go of her and looked away with a slight blush of embarassment of his own.

''I-I'm sorry.'' he mumbled. He really didn't knew what had gotten over him, but he thanked his lucky stars that this couldn't get any more awkward thanks to Yukine.

''Well, my personal space doesn't forgets that easily, but it will do.'' she said slightly amused, trying to clear some of the awkwardness of the moment. Zed raised up to his feet and started gathering his weapons as well as his helmet. He put them on, and made a move for the door but Yukine stopped him.

''Zed!' she called from the couch and he turned to look at her. She had a small smile on her face. ''Thanks again.''

Zed nodded, and let a slight tug at the corners of his lips pass. After he opened the door and closed it behind, cursing mentally his weakness. He really, really hoped whatever was between him and Yukine wasn't getting more and more awkward.

**AN : TADAAA! How was it :3? Alright, bad/good news. Next chapter is the last chapter for Shadow Order arc, after that we move on onto the League of Legends. Romance it's on it's way, as well as drama all over the place. As always, all my lovely readers/reviewers/favs/followers you can help yourselves with these * shows a big plate filled with cakes* while I'm answering some reviews.**

**Spazway2 : *covers ears and shuts eyes close* BRO. BRO CALM DOWN. *peeks one eye open and opens both* Your review made me shed tears of happiness *a lonely tear slides down my cheek* . I'm so glad and happy that you love my story, and sorry for not updating sooner. P.S. : Let's not be that mean. I mean Zayenn's only gonna have the most painfull death... Ah noes, I'm dumb...**

**Coski : ''Master piece''? *lols* . I really don't think of this as a master piece, but of course it makes me all giddy to see you think of it this way :D! Grammar mistakes are my best domain, I could never fail there. Oh, and dun worry more feels are to come~~!**

**Ok, that being said, I'll see you next time.**

**Same time, same channel x3! Adios~!**


	6. Chapter 6: Goodbye

**AN: ALRIGHT. I'M LATE AGAIN. YOU CAN KILL ME. So sorry, but I'm lazy this last week. Hope an extra big chapter with tons of twists and turns will make up for it. By the way, I'm seeing a tons of new faces around :D, which is good but I must ask you guys if you read the previous story? I mean, they do connect a little, and this one would be A LOT more easier to understand if you have read the previous one ( my opinion ). If not, herp leave all your questions in a review and I'll answer them without a second thought! Btw, Italic writting like** _this_** represent memories, just so ya know.**

**Disclaimer : Herpy derpy derp.**

There is Light in Darkness chapter 5

The next day after the almost pulled off execution of Yukine, Zayenn had only one thought in mind. It was time to share her beliefs concerning this girl with Zed. If it hadn't been obvious already, she lied when she said she got 'caught in the heat of the moment'. If she would have been a little bit faster, maybe that damned spy would've been lying in a grave by now. She was sure something was not right with this girl, after that battle.

The first thing that sent her off was her style of fighting. Even if she had trained under Zed's tutelage for the past seven days, she could recognize that fighting style anywhere, and there was only one person who could pull such dodges on her.

'Akyo...' was the name that resounded in her mind for the past hours. It was the only thing that made sense. Akyo always knew how to dodge the majority of her attacks. That's how after every training session they had, Akyo didn't ended with broken bones, cut flesh or anything worster than that. But she shooed the thought away.

'I killed her three years ago...' she said to herself again. She saw it with her own eyes. The huge slash she had made across her upper body, blood flowing like a river from the open wound. It was impossible to survive such a bleeding. The life slowly dissipating from her eyes, her breath growing slower and slower. By the time she left her sister bleed to death she was sure Akyo was already gone.

But there, in the back of her head, was the always contradictory voice. What if she's not gone? What if she, trough a miracle survived? What if this girl is your suposed dead sister? And the 'what if' kept on and on. She couldn't not listen to that voice. There was also a possibility. Her sister had always been extremely lucky, but Zayenn found it hard for even Akyo to juke death.

As she was dressing up in her usual attire, these thoughts kept swirling in her mind. She was absent, yet when she finally woke up from her trance, she saw she was ready to go. Opening the door to her quarters, she turned to go straight to Zed's Office.

Once she found herself in front of the door, she took a small pause. Even if she was driven by her anger and disgust towards this girl, that didn't meant she had to be impolite. Knocking softly on the door, she waited for a response. When a deep voice told her to come in, she opened the door and entered.

When she closed it behind herself, she saw Zed was looking straight at her. His mask was on his face, but she could say he was looking rather disinterested. Approaching his desk, Zayenn kept pushing herself forward. Zed had always been extremely stubborn, so trying to prove her point and convince him would be a hard task indeed.

''What do I own the surprise for you to come here this early?'' he asked in a monotone voice, while Zayenn stopped just in front of the desk he was seating behind. The last time he checked in was seven in the morning. She let a small pause stretch trough the air before she responded.

''I need to talk with you about an important matter.'' she said in her usual voice, which was a rare one. This picked Zed's interest.

''And that is?'' he asked her, and she looked at the desk trying to gather her thoughts.

''Your little personal apprentice.'' she said and could swear she saw Zed roll his eyes. Yet he kept quiet, telling her to continue. ''She's not what she looks like.''

''Mind if you explain a little? It's not like you didn't liked her from the first glance, or even attempted to decapitate her a day ago.'' Zed said, looking disinterested at her. But she could feel the annoyance and slight anger in his tone. She kept cool and continued.

''I don't like many people. Killing them had became an instinct, don't take it as a personal case to your apprentice.'' she took in a breath and then continued. ''Altho, I did take a special interest in her. She's hiding something. And yesterday I proved myself I was right.''

She waited for Zed to reply, but he kept silent. She crossed her arms and let a small sigh, trying to keep calm. ''Doesn't it feel strange? I mean, when she came here seven days ago, she took out a guard and managed to almost take down three students. Our guards, as well as students are suposed to be highly trained, a mere girl should not be a threat towards them.'' she glanced at Zed before continuing. ''Either they were stupid enough, either she **IS **more that she seems.'' she finished.

''So you're hinting at...?'' she heard Zed ask.

''At the fact that she is a spy.'' she heard a sigh.

''It's not the first time you're telling me this...'' Zed said, a little too tired to open the subject again.

''And it wont be the last, until I wont see her lying lifeless on the ground.'' Zayenn snapped. She cleared her throat and then continued. ''Zed, I refuse to believe she has a natural talent at fighting. She knows what she's dealing with. The art of the shadows is a lost culture. This is something only we and The Kinkou know about.''

''She has yet to learn any technique concerning the shadows.'' Zed explained.

''But she is still able to parry your attacks since the first day, and beat the national record on surviving in a fight with me. Why wouldn't you stop being stubborn and listen?'' Zayenn asked annoyed, and Zed sighed.

''Alright. Speak.'' he said, and Zayenn let out a breath of relief.

''Think about it. She comes all the way here. The guards wont let her come in, but she is able to take one down. While the other was reaching you, three students try to take her up. By the time you arrive, she has a few scratches but they look like they had a fight with me. You two fight, and a good chunk on time she is able to fend you off. More over, when I fight her, she seems to know almost all of my moves. The only reason I was close to taking her head off was because of the fact she knew she was screwed the moment I broke that already damaged staff.'' she paused, looking at Zed to make sure he was following her so far.

''I have thought about all the posiblities, and I'm sure I found out the right one. Knows how to defend herself against shadows and everything concerning them, having an amazing talent at fighting... And considering the fact the only ones that know about Shadows aside us are The Kinkou that means-'' Zed cut her off.

''That means you believe Yukine is actually a spy sent by Kinkou.'' he simply said, and saw the approving look on Zayenn's face.

''Exactly. It's the only logical explanation.'' She let aside the subject considering the posibility of Yukine being her sister.

Zed sighed, looking at the desk like it suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world. With another inward sigh, he got up from his rather comfortable chair. He passed Zayenn and went for the door, only for her to stop him.

''Where are you going?'' she asked in confusion, and Zed slightly turned his head before replying.

''To think.'' he said simply and then left. Zayenn let out sigh of relief. If he was thinking about this, it meant she might had convinced him. She knew this was just only one battle she won. The war was still going.

And she wasn't going to lose it.

~(o-o)~ _Later that day..._

Akyo slowly tried to brush her hair, without puting too much pressure on her newly aqcuired wound. It was a hard task, considering she had long hair, and her left shoulder still hurt like heavens. Out of pure curiosity, she looked at herself in the mirror yesterday. Or better said she looked at her scar, only to find out it was completely and uterly gone. She even moved her fingers across the place where she was sure the scar passed, but she only found soft skin.

Firstly, she had been thankfull for it. Even if she wasn't quite sure if Zed knew the way she died or not, she was thanking whatever lucky stars she had for the scar to go away. When she observed her left shoulder blade, where the oficial mark of her being a shadow born should've been, she was also surprised to find it completely gone.

Her skin had became extremely sensitive in that area. She wasn't sure why, but it hurt a lot when she just barely passed her fingers across it. But now, the shoulder blade looked like it had never endured the pain of two seals. This was something she had to ask the summoner. Yes, her appearance had been changed without a flaw but she would've never guessed her scars and seal would also disappear without a trace.

Also, another concerning fact was that it was another day Zed didn't waked her up and five AM. She was well aware that this was going to be her last day here, and while she had somehow attached to this place, her main problem was what she was going to report Master Reiko. He send her here with the purpose of finding if Zed planned anything mainly against the balance and secondly againsts The Kinkou. While she was always next to Zed, she had yet to find anything that looked like a threat against the life of her friends or the balance.

She was glad she had another few precious hours to sleep, but she was also slightly anxious. She had a feeling that this mission wont end as smoothly as she wishes. Once she was finally satisfied with her hair, she let out a sigh. Her brows furrowed as she glanced at her face closer and closer in the mirror. Her eyes widened in slight surprise as she slowly grabbed a few strands of hair.

She saw her brown irises started having a slight tone of icy blue here and there. And her blonde hair, started having a few shades of brown. The spell was begining to weaver, and she prayed it would last until tonight. Trying to forget her previous agitation, Akyo slowly and painfully started braiding her hair, and she really thought about keeping it that way from now on.

She was close to finally tying it up with an elastic band, but there was a knock on her door. Swiftly finishing her hair, she moved out of the bathroom and went for the door. She opened it to see another ninja looking at her.

''Master Zed requires all of the students to gather in the main courtyard.'' he said in a deep masculine voice and Akyo nodded. But she could swear she had seen those blue eyes before. Closing the door, she went back in the bedroom to get her cloak, and after she set out for the main courtyard. Once she exited the Order's big double door's, she saw that the students were still gathering up . She saw Zed and Zayenn already waiting for everything to settle, and she waisted no more seconds in reaching Zed.

He saw her come, and she question him with her eyes. When she received no response, she just sighed slightly and stood beside him. Soft murmurs could be heard from the crowd of students as she, Zayenn and Zed were standing just in front of them. Zayenn immeadiately took a step forward, a hand dangerously on the hilt of her sword, silencing the crowd immediately and then she took the step back, in order to stay by Zed's side. Once he was sure he had their full attention, he spoke.

''I have called you here for an important reason.'' he said loudly, and some of the students shifted in the crowd. ''I need to make you aware of an important annoucement.''

The last phrase surely got everybody's attention. Akyo wondered what this important annoucement might be. She looked at Zed from the corner of her eye, but he was looking like he was gathering his thoughts. In the end he spoke again.

''I have found out there is a spy between our ranks.'' he said coldly, and Zayenn's face illuminated in surprise.

Ice cold water washed over Akyo's body. She felt her heart freeze, and her body stop moving. Her lungs were empty of oxigen and her brain stopped functioning. He knew there was a spy in The Shadow Order?! Her heart suddenly started beating again, franaticaly in her chest. Fear, horror and pure terror washed over her. How could have he found out about it? She was sure she didn't gave him any suspicions. She tried to keep her composture, but she was sure everybody could smell the fear on her.

However, there was a small ray of light in her messed out brain. He said there was a spy, but he didn't said if he had any idea who it was. Once this thought passed her mind, she calmed a little, but remained in her state of alert and slight panic. She kept her cool facade, for the better of her life.

The murmurs started again, as the crowd grew impatient. Zayenn looked at Zed with her face filled with unbelief. He believed her?! He finally listened and believed her story about Yukine being a spy?! She observed that the murmurs were getting lowder and lowder, as she took another step towards them. With an audible growl and the screeching sound her blade did when she unsheated it, the crowd instantly grew quiet again.

That's when Zed continued. ''And I'm well aware of it's identity.'' Again, Akyo felt her world freeze in time. The murmurs started again, quieter this time, but she tried to keep her composture. Zayenn looked at Zed again, a happy spark in her eyes. So he finally listened to her.

Zed slowly scanned the crowd, and then pointed one finger towards a ninja.

''You.'' he said, as the respective student almost flew out of his skin.

''M-M-Me?'' he lamely stuttered, as Zed nodded. The male, who looked no older that sixteen slowly made his way out of the crowd. He stopped in front of Zed, just a few meters away from Zayenn. He was shaking, and Akyo could tell he was teriffied.

However, she was waked up from her thoughts as she saw an object flying towards her. Catching it with both of her hands, Akyo looked confusedly at it. What she hold was a sheathed sword of some sorts. The sheath was made of black steel, the hilt of the sword itself being covered in black leather, with crimson accents here and there. She unsheathed the sword, and she saw she was looking at a darker version of one of Shen's ninjatos. She could see her own reflextion onto the silvery steel of the blade, as she was sure this sword had seen a lot of bloodshed. Holding the blade in one of her hands, she looked at Zed questioningly.

''What am I supposed to do with this?'' she asked him, as she looked at the student in front of her. At the sight of the blade, he seemed to have taken terror to a whole new level. But Zed's answer made both of her and the student's heart jump in their chests.

''Execute him.'' it was simple, cold and plain. An order that dared you to defy it and face the consequences. Akyo looked increduously at Zed, her eyes widening. He also looked at her, and she no longer recognized those eyes. They were cold, and they were devoid of any emotions.

She hesistated. She didn't wanted to kill this boy. He was innocent. He was no spy, she was! She looked at his shaking form, the boy begging her not to take his life. Akyo looked with pity and regret at the boy. She really didn't wanted to kill him. But it was either he or her, and she had faced death before. She had to be selfish, and survive. She didn't wanted to give up on life again. She had found reasons to live for.

She slowly approached the teenager, as he started backing out. He tripped on his own footing and lost his balance, landing on his bottom. He looked terrified at Akyo, as her eyes were filled with pain. The blade was in her right hand, ready to use. As the boy shot her one more pleading look, Akyo closed her eyes.

''I'm sorry...'' she wishpered, not reaching the boy's ears. In a swift movement she raised the sword and brought it down just as swiftly. The way she striked, his neck should've been ripped apart. That would've resulted in a very painfull death, but he would've lived just a few more minutes.

However, that is what would've had happened if the blade would've hit flesh. Akyo opened her eyes and looked confusedly in front of her. Where the boy had been a few seconds ago, a black mass having the same shape and form as the boy's body took his place. She could see the sword's blade inside the mass. It took her a while, but then it hit her. This was a shadow clone.

And then it disappeared in a puff of grey air. Letting the arm with the blade fall next to her body, Akyo turned to look at Zed looking for answers. Zayenn had the same confused face, as she demanded the same.

But Zed was uterly delighted. He was doing a small victory dance in his head. Of course, he had considered Zayenn's suspicion that this girl was a spy. A spy from Kinkou. So, he decided to test her. He remembered all the drabbles about how precious all the lives are and so on. And he was well aware of the fact that if she was from Kinkou, she would've refused to kill that boy.

The Kinkous killed without a second thought. As long as the respective showed himself as a threat towards the balance, one of the ninjas from the order would kill him in a heart beat. But they refused to kill without a purpose. They believed every life is precious, and every individ has his own toll on the balance. If this girl was indeed from The Kinkou, she would have tried to run, to escape or would have simply tried to find an excuse to not kill that boy. While the boy wanted to unlock the powers of the shadows, he had yet to prove himself guilty of anything.

He was sure Reiko would've sent a spy with that purpose. To keep a close eye on what he was planning. If she was indeed a spy, she would've knew better who had killed anybody and who didn't.

But Zed saw with his own two eyes Yukine wasn't a spy. He really didn't knew why he was so happy after all. Yes, he was right, but he could feel there was a hidden reason behind his happiness. He would think about that later, now he was pretty sure he had some explaining to do.

Zayenn woke up from her state, and knew she had to talk with Zed about all of this. She turned sharply towards the students and shouted.

''Be gone by the next second.'' and the anger in her tone was enough to make all of them scatter. Once they were gone, she turned around and started pacing towards Zed every step heavy with pure anger, passing Akyo in the process. She stopped angrily in front of Zed and growled.

''We have to talk about this.'' she said, the anger and slight dissapointment obvious in her voice. Zed sighed and shot Yukine one last glance before he turned around and walked with Zayenn towards the order. Akyo just stood there, looking stupidly forward, and being confused at the same time. She was sure explanations will come later, but for now she had to think about everything by herself.

~(o-o)~

When Akyo believed she will receive some explanations about whatever Zed made her do, she was wrong. No explanations were made. She hasn't seen Zed since that 'incident', but she couldn't complain. It would only make her departure a lot more easier.

It was night. Middle of the night if she was right. Moonlight poured out of the window, as she stood in the doorway looking thoughtfully towards a bed. The bed itself was king sized, with black satin sheets covering it. However it was not the bed, but the person in it that made her stay there and stare.

The spell was long gone. Her brown hair and white eyes were back, and she almost regreted being herself again. With silent steps she moved forward and leaned on one of the poles that held somesort of roof over the bed. Zed was sleeping peacefully, unaware of her presence, as she just took advantage of the situation. After all, this would be the last time she sees him this calm.

She almost couldn't believe it. His face which would rarely be set in anything else that a frown was now completely serene, it made her smile. She was glad he was taking a break from everything in his sleep atleast. She continued leaning on the pole, her arms crossed as she just watched Zed sleep. Her eyes were unfocused, looking like she was lost in her thoughts. And in truth, she was.

She didn't wanted things to go this way. Why didn't she tried finding a better reason or just trying to stay away from such a mission, it was unknown to her. But maybe it was all because she hoped. She hoped in seeing Zed again. Not the all mighty Shadow Master, but her old friend. Her old love.

It was foolish of her, how she still hold on such feelings. Maybe he wasn't feeling the same way, maybe he was but this was not an excuse for her to not grow up. In truth she didn't grew up. Her heart, atleast in her opinion, was just as it was eleven almost twelve years ago. A heart that has yet to face betrayal or emotional pain. A heart young and innocent that believed in a person's change.

Yes, even after almost twelve years she still loved Zed. Not like she would admit it to anyone, but she admited it to herself. Like she did a long time ago. She couldn't help but wonder, if she would have confessed, maybe Zed would have never gone the wrong path? Maybe, even if he wasn't on the same page like she was, it would have atleast kept him away from the darkness.

Her eyes drifted from spot to spot, unable to keep them trained on just one place. She finally returned to the present, and looked at Zed once more. His breath was still calm, his chest rising and falling slowly. Akyo found it hard to not come closer. Yes, she knew she was coming into the den of the dragon, but she couldn't stay away anymore. For one time in her life, she would swallow her fears.

She stepped closer and closer, and leaned in a little. She gazed softly at him, hoping inside her mind, things wouldn't have turned this way. With a small soft sigh,she gathered all of her courage, and tried to block the blush of embarassment on her face. She leaned in, and her lips placed a soft kiss on Zed's forehead. She slowly returned to a normal standing position, smiling tenderly all the way. She thanked all of her lucky stars, who seemed to be on a row these days, for Zed to not wake up.

She turned around sharply and went for the door, but paused. She stole one last glance at the Shadow Master, and let another soft smile cross her features.

''Sweet dreams Zed.'' she whispered, before she turned around and disappeared comepletely into the darkness.

Using shadows as her path, Akyo moved slowly trough the order, searching for the door. She was such in a rush to leave, she didn't heard the clattering noise, an object falling to the grownd in Zed's room did.

Once she found the double doors, she opened them, exiting the order swiftly. She was just a few meters away from the gates but she paused again. She turned to look around the ground and, like a broken movie, inside her head the memory of the fall of The Kinkou started playing.

All the screams of pain and cry of battles. All the corpses and all the blades clashing onto one another resounded in her ears. All the shouts, everything seemed so distant now. It was like she was just spectating the fray, the battle unfolding before her eyes without a flaw, just as it did three years ago.

Her fellow ninjas comrades against the Shadow ones were battling, and she saw Shen demanding retreat to everybody. Akali and Kennen were keeping at bay the ninjas and then when she turned her head ninety degrees she saw it.

It was her, four years ago. She might have not realised it, but her eyes were filled with broken shards of her heart and soul. They showed pain and sadness, and Zayenn couldn't be more delighted. She saw and heard all the exchange that happened between them.

_''Sister, please stop this. I-'' she was however cut of by Zayenn's menancing, cold laugh._

_''Sister?! HAH!'' she almost shouted. She pointed her sword at Akyo's head. ''You stopped being my sister years ago.'' she said her eyes narrowing._

Akyo closed her eyes. 'Sister...' the word echoed in her brain, losing itself in darkness. She opened them again, to continue watching the scene.

_''Zayenn, please. It doesn't has to be this way.'' Akyo pleaded. It was in vain._

_''Oh but it does.'' she said.'' You see, I must thank you for beating me in the trial. It opened my eyes towards this 'balance' you fools protect.''_

_''What?'' she confusedly asked._

_''Oh little Akyo. If there was any balance to this world, you wouldn't have had been a shadow born, but me! This is just something cooked up by a smart enough man, to brainwash some idiots into doing his dirty jobs.'' Akyo looked increduously in Zayenn's eyes._

_''Zayenn...'' she tried again to no avail._

_''Enough chit-chat. It's time to end this. Do not tag my face as your sister today, but as the one who would end your petty little life.'' she said, as she started charging towards Akyo._

And then they battled. Akyo wasn't sure if her sister still had her seal at that time or if she didn't, but she saw they were equal in skill. Akyo had no intent on losing at that time, but neither had Zayenn.

_''So you have been foolish enough to fall in love?''_

Akyo closed her eyes in pain. 'Yes sister, I have been...'.

_''I can see it in your eyes. All this sadness and pain they bear are unfortunately not my own creation but his...'' _

Akyo could feel tears threating to flow, but she forced them back. No more tears.

_''Don't play the fool on me, Akyo. You know very well who I'm talking about. The one who had senteced you to death, Zed.''_

Akyo heard her sister say behind her closed lids.

_''No... He wouldn't...'' she heard her own voice say, herself unsure. She tried to keep tears away from her eyes, and kept the sobs at bay. She closed her eyes as her sister's taunting continued._

_''Oh but he did. You see, unlike you, he never was stupid to fall for you in the first place. He always saw you as a weakling, and only helped you just to toy with you later. He turned you into his own personal puppet, and you were stupid enough to believe he loved you.'' _

The voices of the past continued to ring in her ears clear as bells.

_''No. He wouldn't. We were...''_

_''Were what? Friends?!'' Zayenn almost shouted, scoffing soon afterwards. ''That was just in your head, you idiot. The one who he really sought out to stay by his side was me.'' _

It was then when Akyo opened her eyes. All the other shouts and everythign else seemdd to fade, as she watched her own downfall. Zayenn dove towards her past self, and after saying something that did not reach her ears she slashed her chest apart. She let her body fall on the ground, grabbing at the big wound in desperation. Zayenn just leaned and ripped the necklace away from her neck, and Akyo uncounsciously put a hand around it. After that Zayenn left, and the movie ended with the distant scream of her name, followed by a no.

When Akyo opened her eyes again to look at the ground, her eyes widened slightly. With big innocent icy blue eyes and short and soft brown hair, a very younger version of herself stared at her. It was shining an strangely white aura, but the girl just looked confusedly at Akyo. With nothing more than a mere inward sigh, Akyo turned her back towards what she believed was the vision of her own soul.

''I'm sorry little one...'' she whispered before she turned around, and left the order for good.

She was unaware of the fact that a pair of crimson irises was watching her from a window in the order. The person had it's arms crossed as it followed the figure move across the ground and then stop. After a while she turned around and left.

Zed tried to sort out his thoughts. He had been awake all this time, the mere presence of someone enable to get him out of his sleep. However, it was the aura of this person that made him keep the facade of sleeping.

It was a calm, cool aura, that made him feel safe and home whenever around it. He had yet to realise it by now, and he would have never believed it, if not for the events unfolding tonight. The sensation of those soft lips he had yet to forget on his forehead was still there, and the object that caused the clatter was hold in his hand.

A wood made charm. A piece of rectagular wood which had intricate designs and symbols on it's edges and in the middle the stylized drawing of a tiger. He knew that there were probably hundreds like these, since he procured this from the Lunar Revel festival.

But he didn't bought it. He actually carved the drawing of the tiger himself, and he made sure it was not like the others that were on the Festival. He wanted it to be unique, like the girl he had given it to it. He would recognize that tiger anywhere, and the slight glance he could take at the pair of white eyes told him everything he needed to know.

She was alive, breathing, safe and sound. But she was the spy Kinkou send.

And she just had broken all of the trust he hold towards her.

**AN : DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNN! FINALLY. The end of the Shadow Order arc. Cliff ass hanger again. Love me? Of course you do! :3! While everybody gets a hug *hugs all of my readers/followers/favs/reviewers* I'll answer some reviews, and if I forgot to answer yours, DO NOT BE AFRAID to tell me I'm stupid ^^'**

**Guest : Glad you like this :D . I can't write faster, I'm toooo lazy! X_X**

**Coski : Y nobody likes Zayenn? XD Well, akyo didn't told Zed the truth bu he found out after all.. Shit is getting real now. Science is a bitch, and keeps stealign my life away but thanks anyway x3. You have a dA?! WHY YOU DIDN'T TOLD ME EARLIER?! asdashdjas**

**Spazway : Okay, the beggining of your review made me LOL out loud. Like just laugh my ass off. I know how it is to be so excited that you stay awake all night to read fanfictions x3. Y NOBODY EVEN LIKES ZAYENN?! X'D**

**Sabrine123 : Actually, ''Yukine'' reminds Zed a lot of Akyo. That irony doe, he's not aware they are the same person XD. Until now...**

**So yeah, see you next time, like in a few weeks (joke) when I'm not gonna be drowned in CHEMISTRY. Love you all *muah*!**

**Bye~~!**


	7. Chapter 7: A new start

There is light in darkness chapter 6

Zed waited patiently for the blue rings surrounding him to dissipate. The process had been repeated way too many times than he could count ever since he joined the League, almost a month ago. Once the blue light finally died down he found himself in a slight darkened room. Purple runes lighted here and there, and the halway that was led outside the big room was lited up by torches. This was the after match room, were summoners and champions alike could chit chat and talk about the previous match.

It had been a rather easy one. He was matched up against a very well known red head assassin, but she had no chance against him. Even if she, and her summoner tried, he easily bursted her down. But his team hand't been that bad either. The Freljordian Queen had his respect for the way she battled. You would mistake her for an ordinary archer, that until you saw her battle. Especially that enchanted giant arrow was a sight to see. The one that supported her to battle was no other than the mute muse. Only the thought of that powerful chord that always send you dancing to death made Zed shudder slighty. Their top laner had been ocupied by The Exiled one. It was clear that this woman had been a commander in her past life. It was simply astonishing what she could do what that simple broken blade, her power increasing dramatically when the blade returned to it's previous form. The one that had been picking up the jungle was another Queen. But this one was an eight legged. Elise was surely one kind of a... living thing, if he could say that way. Whenever she ganked, she would wait patiently for the perfect moment to jump on her prey. A true predator, and those little spiderlings of hers were just strange.

He was broken out of his chain of thoughts as blue light appeared here and there next to him. Champions and Summoners were slowly starting to fill the room. He saw that Katarina hadn't even bothered to say anything to her teammates or to her summoner who if he might add, was close to dying out of embarassment, as she just turned straight for the halway. Zed shot her a look and he let out a slight scoff as she passed him, and he observed with a pleased smirk that Katarina's face turned as red as her hair.

When he noticed his teammates, he just nodded slightly to them. He also noticed his summoner, a young girl, looking around her twenties with two strands of brown hair framing her face, one longer that the other. Her brown eyes reminded him of somebody else he preffered to not think of. She noticed his gaze was set on her figure, as she made her way towards him.

''Another excelent match. I do hope we will get to colaborate again on the fields, Master of Shadows.'' she told him. In truth, she was one of the few who actually knew his true power and potential. She had yet to lose a match, while choosing him as her Champion. He nodded towards her, as he turned around and left towards the halway.

It was rather long, but he focused on his destination. He couldn't wait to get to his chambers, and finally take a break from another exhausting day. Yes, fighting in the Fields was fun, all the bloodshed was just what he needed. But since he was the latest aqcuisition to the League, of course all the summoners wanted to try him out. And there were times he wanted to rip their heads off for playing so poorly. As Zed continued walking down the halway, he heard voices talking somewhere on one of the turns. As he continued walking, the voices became more and more clear.

''Have you heard? Another champion will soon join the League!'' he heard one of them say, and Zed stopped. He put his back against the wall, and listened. This might be interesting.

''Another one so soon? It's hard to believe.'' he peeked over the wall slightly and saw two summoners were talking face to face.

''It wont be. I heard she will probably join us tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I'm so excited!'' the voice belonged to a girl, but her face was hidden under her hood.

''And what is it that makes you so excited? Do you already know who she is?'' a male asked her.

''Not quite. Kaleyn hadn't told me much, but she did told me she's a Ionian.'' Ionian huh? Zed thought.

''She must know much more than that. Probably Miss Kolminye had already told her every little thing about her.'' the male one retorted.

''Well, I did persuaded her into giving me more details. After all, how could she refuse her best friend Gabriel?'' the girl gave a slight giggle and then continued. ''She didn't gave me any names, but told me this one champion is special.''

''In which way?'' the one named Gabriel asked.

''Well, she said the champion will be introduced to The League as soon as she passes her judgement.''

''If she does.'' he interupted.

''Well, if she is positive the girl will pass, we shouldn't be negative. Can I continue?'' the girl asked slightly annoyed, her foot tapping on the floor slightly impatiently, and the boy nodded.

''I'm sorry I interuppted you Miss Angela. It shall not repeat.'' Gabriel said and the girl seemengly called Angela had her face turn red in slight anger or complete annoyance at Gabriel's sarcasm.

''How about not leashing out all that frustation you got pent up there at me, hmm?'' she retorted, and Gabriel glared at her. She cleared her throat and continued speaking.

''What is actually more special about this girl is that she has something only probably only one Champion posses in our League.''

''And that would be?'' Gabriel asked, curiosity obvious in his voice.

''Kaleyn told me she has Shadow powers.'' Zed's heart stopped for a moment.

''Like the Kinkous?''

''No quite. She said her powers are different from The Fist of Shadow or The Eye of Twilight. She was born with those. She bends the shadows. Much like our newest champion, Zed.'' Angela explained.

''Interesting...'' Gabriel mused.

''Indeed. I believe she told me she goes by title of 'The Shadow Born' or something along those lines.'' Angela said slightly excited. ''Just imagine. What if she is a disciple of The Master of Shadows? Ohh, I can't wait to see her lore!'' she said again, as she turned around and started walking side by side with the boy, their conversation dying in the background.

Zed had to recollect his thoughts. From what he had heard, his heart only started beating faster and faster. Ionian, born with the power to bend shadows, 'Shadow Born'. His heart ached a little, a reminder of the not so long ago betrayal of the girl he believed dead. Now she was going to join the League? This couldn't get more complicated than it already was, couldn't it?

~(o-o)~

Akyo looked at the building in front of her. The Institute was surely an impressive building and she eyes it slightly, trying to remember what that summoner told her. She started climbing the stairs and didn't went trought the main double doors. Instead, once she found herself in front of the building she took a turn to the left and found another set of double doors, smaller this time. Above them, purple runes shone brightly, the inscription making Akyo gulp slightly.

'The path of true Champions...' she read inside her mind. Hesitating slightly, she opened the set of doors and torches lighted istantly, showing her the path.

She walked down the halway, as she heard the door close behind her shut. She cringed a little, knowing that there was no way back now. Exhaling, she straightened her stance and continued forward without a weavering step.

Not long after she started walking she saw another set of double doors. The inscription above them made Akyo's heart take on a race again. The Reflecting Chamber was written in bold purple runes above the doors, and taking another deep breath, she opened one door with her hand. The room was surely dark, but it did not scare her. On the oposite, it snoothed her a little, darkness always being a calming element to her. Entering the room, she let the door close behind her, all the hesitation gone.

She found herself in darkness once again, as she waited patientlyfor something to happen. She was broken out of her reverie, as sound of clashing steel and cry of battles resounded all around her. She opened her eyes, and confusion filled them, as she found herself in that hellish event, four years ago. The fall of The Kinkou Order. Her staff was ready in her hand, already bathed in blood, and she saw that one Shadow assassin made a move to jump at her. However, a sword strecthed horizontally in front of him made him rethink his actions. Akyo's eyes widened again as she looked at the owner of the sword. Her sister's emerald green eyes were glaring into her own, as she spoke in a low tone, close to a growl.

''Leave. She's mine.'' Zayenn told the ninja, as the respective bowed and left, letting the two sisters alone.

''Long time no see, Akyo.'' Zayenn said, and smiled behind her mask. This was way too familiar. But she couldn't help but repeating the past.

''Sister, please stop this. I-'' she was cut of by Zayenn's laugh.

''Sister?!'' Zayenn scoffed and raised her sword, poiting it's tip at Akyo's head. ''I stopped being your sister years ago.'' her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Akyo gulped slightly, panic starting to spread around her mind and body. She remained in her stance, however she was well aware of what was going to happen next.

''Zayenn, please. It does not have to be this way!'' she pleaded, a false hope fo being able to change the past shining in her mind.

''Oh but it does.'' she said her eyes glaring at Akyo dangerously.'' You see, I must thank you for beating me in the trial. It opened my eyes towards this 'balance' you fools protect.''

''What? What are you talking about?!'' Akyo asked, slightly disturbed by her sister's words. How could she forget about the promise they made to their mother?

''Oh little Akyo. If there was any balance to this world, you wouldn't have had been a shadow born, but me! This is just something cooked up by a smart enough man, to brainwash some idiots into doing his dirty jobs.'' Akyo looked increduously in Zayenn's eyes.

''Zayenn... That-that it's not true!''

''Enough chit-chat. It's time to end this. Do not tag my face as your sister today, but as the one who would end your petty little life.'' she said, as she started charging towards Akyo.

The battle happened the same way ti did four years ago. Zayenn charged towards Akyo, and even if she knew what was going to happen, she was slow in answering her sister. She blocked the strike with her staff, and tried to push Zayenn back, jus the way she did to her. When they saw this was getting no where, they jumped back, rethinking their moves. A soft gale of wind blew, moving the girl's capes. Akyo held her staff close in front of her, as Zayenn had her sword close to her body. She saw the slight glint of delight in Zayenn's eyes. Akyo gulped again. It's starting to happen.

''You fool.'' Zayenn said as she let out another laugh. ''You have fallen in love with him, haven't you?'' Zayenn asked Akyo. Even if she didn't remembered it to happen this way, she continued.

''What are you talking about?'' she asked, anger dripping from her words. Zayenn only snickered.

''I can see it in your eyes. Your soul is shattered beyond recognition, your heart aching from the situation that it's surrounding you. And it hurts you this bad only because the one you love is in the middle of all it.'' Zayenn said and Akyo was sure this wasn't the way things happened four years before. Yet, it still hurt her heart to hear those words. Even if this wasn't the same thing , it still pained her badly.

She shook her head. ''This isn't his fault. He wouldn't have done this. He promised...'' she tried to reason with herself, but the pain of his betrayal returned, reminding her of that night. How he broke her already very fragile trust.

Zayenn scoffed at her. ''His promises towards you were nothing. I can't believe you haven't realised it after all these years.''

''Huh?'' Akyo asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. She had to stay calm, or else she will die again.

''Because you see Akyo, during all these years he hadn't given you the slighest thought. I have been always by his side, aiding him in achieveing his dream, you only wanted to destroy. He realised it, and had given himself all to me.'' Akyo's world frozen completely. The pain from all those years ago returned. Every night she suffered, all the pain she felt when he had been expeled, all the time she suffered because of him returned and crashed on top of her head. She let it hung low, trying to keep her balance by placing both of her hands on the staff. Now, she was going to die again.

Zayenn smirked as she charged towards her sister, her fist coliding with Akyo's left cheek in a painful motion. She didn't waisted anytime, and kicked her in the right side of her abdoment, making her get out a strangled cry of pain. She dropped on the ground, closing her eyes, waiting for all this hell to end. But, nothing happened. Instead, when she looked at Zayenn again, her emerald eyes seemed different, and her sword was dangling at her side.

''Akyo, why do you wish to join the League?'' a voice totally different from Zayenn's asked her. Akyo looked bewildered at her sister before realising what was actually going on. She picked herself up from the ground and masaged her right side.

''To aid my comrades into battle.'' she replied shortly. She had repeated this answer for thousand of times this past month. Zayenn or, the Summoner who was now talking to her shook it's head.

''That's not the complete answer. Akyo, why do you wish to join the League?'' she asked again, and Akyo looked at the ground. Her hood blocked any view of her eyes, as she just stared at the ground.

''To aid my comrades into battle and...'' she took a light break, but raising her head and looking directly into the summoner's eyes. ''To find my long lost friend, and bring balance to my world once more.'' she answered, and saw the summoner looking rather pleased.

''How does it feel to have your mind exposed?'' the summoner asked her again, and Akyo didn't hesitate in answering.

''Exposing my weaknesses wont make me stronger, but I do wish to learn from my past failures.'' she told the summoner and it nodded. Soon enough she was engulfed by darkness again and she waited slightly anxious for something to happen. Then, two double doors opened, lighting the dark chamber and Akyo smiled slightly. She started walking forward, trough The Door of Acceptance, and leaving the dark side of her past die in The Reflexion Chamber.

Yes, she could now start fresh again, no longer having to be haunted by her past. She will no longer let her ghosts get the better of her, and she will fight them until the very end. Slowly walking forward, letting herself being engulfed in light, The Door of Acceptance closed behind her, her past remaining sealed in The Reflexion Chamber. Or that is what she thought.

Chatter, huried steps and excited squeals filled a room inside The Institute of War. In front of a pair of double doors, a staircase that flowed down to the ground like a wave had an entire crowd gathered in front of it. Summoners, Champions and staff of the Institute alike were all gathered for this one rare moment. In truth, you don't get to see a Champion so soon everyday.

A man dressed in a purple cloak with short black messy hair and a pair of black eyes to match, was talking vigurously with High Summoner Vessaria Kolminye. The man had it's hood down, and he looked in his late twenties. They were on top of the staircase, and were just checking the last details before revealing and officialy welcoming the newest champion of the League.

Their chatter was however stopped when a young girl with brown hair, two bangs framing her face one short and one long tapped Vessaria on her shoulder. She whispered something in her ear and Kolminye couldn't seem anymore pleased. With that she turned towards the man and told him one or two last things before she went down the stair case following the young summoner girl.

Zed for his part, didn't felt at all in his element. He thanked God for having found a spot in darkness where he could still see pretty good the annoucement and the welcoming of the new champion. He was well hidden in the dark, so good not even the Kinkous who weren't extremely far, felt his presence. Shen stood motionlessly, looking rather disinterested by all this preparing, as Akali was trying to calm down an overly excited Kennen, running around. Zed had to stop the urge to assasinate all of them at once, but he was reminded by the loud voice of Vessaria that still boomed in his head, the repercusions of such an act.

He watched rather boredly the set of doors, waiting for the moment they will open. When they will, he could say a stone would be lifted off his chest. Even if inside his mind and inside a very well hidden pocket he had the proof that Akyo was alive, he needed to see her with his own two eyes. To look in that pair of intriguing icy blue eyes once more. Only then, he would be settled.

When Vessaria descended the stairs, the summoner who still stood on top of them cleared his throat, loud enough for everybody to turn silent and give him their fullest attention. Once he was sure there would be no interuptions, he began speaking.

''Summoners, Champions, League of Legends. Today one rare event shall take place. As you might have already heard, a new Championess is own her way to our League.'' he took a pause, as slight 'oohh's heard from the crowd. Then he continued.

''But unlike others, she will be introduced to you right after her judgement had taken place. It is only a matter of time for us to know if she will prove herself worthy of the title of Champion or not.'' as he finished speaking, the same summoner girl quickly went up the steps and whispered something into the left ear of the man. He nodded and she stood on one side of the door while he spoke.

''As it seems, The Door of Acceptance had opened once more in front of a true warrior, fighting for his cause. We introduce to you...'' the man let the sentence hang in the air, as the double doors opened revealing darkness.

Once the light stopped blinding her view, Akyo opened her eyes to find herself in another halway. Dumbfounded and slightly sweat dropping, the girl continued her march forward, walking down the halway. Not long after, she heard a booming voice speaking, but she couldn't quite get what he was saying. The halway made a slight turn to the left, and as soon as she did it too she saw another set of double doors and two summoners staying on top of stairs that led to the door.

When one of them caught sight of her, he poked the other in the arm, and they hurried down the steps towards her. She saw they were two men, but their faces were hidden under their hoods. She watched them wearily.

''You are Akyo, the new champion?'' one of them asked, and Akyo nodded. The both grabbed her slightly by her arms, and pulled her foward towards the stairs.

''Your introduction will be made tonight. Usually revealing a champion is a big event. Even bigger since you joined about a month after our latest.'' one of them said and Akyo slightly titled her head.

''Is that so...?'' she said mostly to herself. Once they went up the stairs the one that spoke until now turned to the other.

''Announce them everything is set.'' the other summoner nodded, as a blue ball of energy, smaller that the only one she had seen, appeared in his hand. Once it disappeared, the two summoners gave her one last look before retreating into the shadows, looking ready to push the set of doors open at command.

''We introduce to you...'' she heard that booming voice say again, as the doors opened again, more light to blind her vision. The voice boomed again.

''The newest champion to our league. Born from within the shadows herself, Akyo, The Shadow Born!''

Everybody looked expectantly at the door, but only darkness could be seen. Zed himself tried to hide his slight dissapointment. Sounds of dissapointed sighs and another signs of the crowd growing relentless were heard, and Zed considered leaving this place, considering all the wait a waste of time. However, there were steps that resounded clearly and brought silence once more.

From the darkness of the door a claoked figure appeared. Her head was bent down, the hood she wore hiding her face from view. As she finally stepped completely out of the dark, she raised her head and small gasps could be heard from within the room, and Zed feart his heart cringe.

Beautiful icy blue eyes scanned the room and the crowd quietly, while the others watched her in slight awe. Her figure was hidden underneath her cloak, but she took off her hood to reveal her long brown hair flowing gracefully down her back from her ponytail. She stood there and waited patiently for something , anything to happen.

And, as if on cue, the summoner who had been talking up until now approached Akyo in order to talk to her. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder but she didn't react the way he wished. As soon as she felt him close, Akyo immediately grabbed his arm and turned on her heels, keeping one hand on his right arm while the other pushed his back. In this motion, the summoner landed face first towards the floor with a loud and painfull groan. Everything happened in a mere second and while Zed was slightly impressed, it seemed as if she charmed the crowd.

Akyo kept the summoner in that painfull position until her eyes widened when she realised the situation. She acted on instict, she wasn't very friendly with targets approaching her somewhere out of the field of her view. She gasped in slight shock, and then something she didn't saw comming happened.

The crowd of summoners errupted in applause. Akyo blinked and looked slightly dumb founded but with another slight groan of protest, she remembered and let the poor summoner go. She helped him up and excused herself, but he brushed off as he tried to make sure his arm was still in place. Once the applauses stopped, the summoner she had met one month ago stepped up and talked to the crowd.

''And that makes the introduction of out newest champion, Summoners. If you still wish to see Lady Akyo gracefully performing battle, it shall be on the Fields of Justice!'' she exclaimed, as the crowd slowly started to vanish. Akyo apologized to the poor male summoner once more, as he smiled painfully and waved her excuses off.

She turned around to descend the stairs, but her eyes stopped, looking deep inside the darkness of one of the corners of the room. She felt like there was a pair of eyes, watching her from deep within it. The world seemed to fade around her, her focus only being on the spot of darkness. However a slight tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

''Is something wrong?'' she saw the girl she remembered as Kaleyn by the name, ask her. She shaked her head, and went down the stairs. At the bottom she had the pleasant surprise to see the ones she hadn't been seeing in months. Shen, Akali and Kennen were waiting patiently for her, and just as she finished descending the stairs, Kennen runned up to her. She crouched and caught the purple dressed yordle in a hug.

''Well, you surely missed me.'' she said amusedly as she let go of Kennen. She could see the happy spark in his eyes, and she ruffled the space between his ears playfully. She returned to a standing position to meet Akali's gaze. It was warm, and slightly happy. Akyo responded with a slight nod of her own. The next person she saluted was Shen. While he had his arms corssed, looking as indiferent as ever, she was sure there was some slight happines behind his emotionless mask. She responded with a small amused 'hmph' of her own, and Shen closed his eyes and slightly shook his head.

Akyo sighed inwardly. It surely felt good to be with her friends again. But that chilling feeling she had up her spine didn't left. She turned around once more to look at that spot of darkness, trying to figure out who would might be. Her attention snapped foward once more when she heard somebody clear it's throat. She looked at the summoner.

''It is an honor to meet you Miss Akyo. My name is Summoner xEnchanted, and I shall show you the way towards your chambers, if the triumvirate doesn't mind if I kidnap you for a little.'' she said eyeing amusedly each of The Kinkous. She motioned with her hand behind her, as she turned around on her heels, Akyo soon to follow. She took one last glance at that spot of darkness, and swore she saw red. Shaking her head, Akyo returned her attention forward, excited to start a new chapter in her life.

**AN : AAAAAAnd, that's it. This part of the fiction is a lot better planned unlike the other. I have a lot of things ready for you guys *evil smile* . You know the trick, I give you cookies while I answer some reviews. Here we go :**

**Canthandlemysawg : Don't worry, I'm sick myself of fanfictions that purely crush Shen, just cause Zed looks a lil more badass. Come one, he just opened a damn box, Shen saved guys from the ORder when Zed atatcked. What could I ask more from him? I'm really trying to make justice to all characters, and I'm really glad I'm doing it right.**

**Spazway2: Again, I loled my ass off ready your review. Jeesus, take a breath eat a cookie, crink some milk. Am I that evil? XD . Well, the relationship between them is up to a rocky start, but I promised romance didn't I? AND I KEEP MY PROMISES. I myself am dying to write some adorable and uter heart melting fluff. Don't worry, nothing too bad will happen~**

**Coski: Seriously, what's with the screaming?! XD . Np bro, I read fics all the time in English class. The teach is so busy telling us what adventure she had at the morning's breakfast she doesn't pays us the slighest attention. Zed doesn't hate her, but he's still upset. A lot... But as I said, things will go for the better.**

**Sabrine321: WOWOWOWOWOWOW. WOW. No, if he even thinks of the slighest posibility of hurting her, I promise I'll make him suffer tenfold *angry erza face***

**Alright, that's about it. As usual, I love you guys, keep 'em reviews comming. Promise to stop being lazy.**


	8. Chapter 8: Long Time No See

**AN : Alrighty, I have another long AN at the bottom. I'll explain what you need to know right now here, to avoid confusion. Also, my pity worth 'sorries' are also at the bottom * weak sob*. So, now that Akyo is a champion she does need some skills, doesn't she? While I'm still trying to sort of 'update' her kit, you'll have to stick with the lame one for now XD (also, there are a few question marks, that means I'm not sure about the name or the skill itself, mind if you help me? :D) altho, it has gone trough a lot of changes before. Here I go rambling again. Derp, here we go:**

**Passive (Shadow Walker) : While out of sight of any enemy champion, Akyo gains a small bonus of movement speed, which decays slightly after upon coming in contact with the field of view of any enemy champion.**

**Q (Runic Strike) : Activating the ability will grant Akyo bonus damage upon the next attack. The lower the health, the greater the damage.**

**W (Shadow Assault) : Akyo walks trough shadows for a small period of time, becoming stealthed. When coming out of stealth, Akyo has increased attack speed for a shot period of time. The ability can be reactivated to end the stealth.**

**E (Shadow Leap?) : Akyo leaps towards her targer, damaging it if it's an enemy. If Shadow Walker or Shadow Assault is active, Akyo deals bonus damage. Using this ability while Runic Strike is active will cause Akyo to deal damage around her when landing ( like spinning ).**

**R (Power of The Shadow Born?) : Akyo runs towards her target, marking it with the 'Mark of The Shadow Born'. While the mark is active, her skills have increased damage.**

**So yeah, herp that's kind of it. So, now you can enjoy this chapter. Imma gonn start explaining myself at the bottom.**

There is light in darkness chapter 7

The sounds of splashing water filled the somehow eerie silence of the river. Footsteps parting the waters, sending droplets flying everywhere that accompanied the sound of rythmical splashes. The hooded figure walked swiflty down the river, not wasting any more time. Returning from the top lane, Akyo moved towards her own lane, the mid one.

The match she had been summoned into was not the first in this week. She could say the longer she stayed, the more the Insitute seemed to have another bunch of surprises ready for her. Firstly when she had encountered the map of Summoner's Rift, she could say the one monster that still sent shivers down her spine was that creature thing the summoners named Baron Nashor. After a week spent here, the she knew the Summoner's Rift like the back of her hand.

Being a champion was surely an interesting job. Matches were usually announced and programmed, so you would know when to get ready or not. But what still intrigued her was this connection between the summoner and the champion. Summoners kept a link of communication open between the champion and itself. The link could be opened and closed all the time during the match, so the summoner being able to talk and to warn the champion of different events. The communication link was usually closed, since champions found it easier to concentrate, without other thoughts and voices filling their own head.

While Akyo had full control upon her actions, her summoner could use two spells, which had the loner cooldowns without her own will. She had to admit this was a good thing, considering many of her escapes couldn't be done without a fast reaction from her own summoner.

She was now returning towards the lane she had been chosen to take since 'The Champion Select', the mid lane. While she was a champion that summoners described as a full attack damage, and usually mid lane would be taken by mages, she couldn't quite fight her summoner's decision back.

A few moments ago, during the 'early game' as summoners called it, she couldn't help but wish to have been sent anywhere but mid. She didn't knew all the champions that formed the enemy team, but she knew very well her oponent. Her summoner, the one she had encountered before her mission with The Shadow Order, had told her her enemy was LeBlanc, a Noxian mage and deceiver. Of course she had a lot of trouble during the early time, considering she was a melee assasin and LeBlanc used her staff to attack her from the distance. Her Sigil of Silence and Eternal Chains we're the spells that probably hurt the most.

But her own summoner was intelligent and tried to keep the distance while farming minions. The summoner had told her, LeBlanc relies much on the kills she gets, so if Akyo could farm enough, LeBlanc shouldn't be a problem.

But firstly she had been anxious in the first minutes of the match. She really didn't wanted to be one to have her blood spilled first. And thankfully she wasn't. Her own team had scored that point in the bottom lane, where a woman called Vayne together with her support, one of the spookiest things Akyo had ever seen, the 'spirit' if she could call it that way, Thresh had took First Blood on the enemy support, Lulu.

Her own jungler who had been really kind to give her the blue buff a few times, which helped her energy regen a lot, was in all meanings of the words a talking tree. Maokai surely was another thing that dazed Akyo at first sight. But, unlike Thresh, he was a little easier to work with.

But their jungler was somebody she had heard of. A blue werewolf, who had previously been a man, his actual condition thanks to his participation on destroing innocent Ionian villages. Akyo admired the one known as The Starchild for putting such a curse onto the Noxian chemist. And while he looked a lot more uglier than the rumors described him, Akyo tried to focus on LeBlanc rather that Warwick.

Aside those three oponents, Akyo didn't knew what else their team consisted of. She had ventured top lane in order to help Shen take down Warwick, which seemed to babysit the enemy top laner quite a lot. When Warwick went down with a houl, his body falling limply to the ground while his sould exited his body, waiting for the spawners to regenerate it, Shen thanked her for her help and she left. She was closing upon the Baron Pit and suddenly the place seemed to be way too quiet.

She stopped. Not turning her head around, she tried to look at her surroundings. Yes the place seemed way too quiet and dark, the silence bringing a terifying shiver down her spine. She felt a presence nearby, probably an enemy. When she observed her eyes wont help her, Akyo closed them, letting the other senses take over. Focusing on her hearing and smell, Akyo tried to ''see'' her enemy. She heard steps running behind her so fast she couldn't turn around in time.

However, thanks to her supernatural reflexes, her staff which was back in it's holster was out in a split second as she whirled around with it in hand, striking the individ's head. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at her attacker, but then she observed. Her attacker was nothing more than a Shadow, disappearing in a puff of grey air before her eyes.

Her eyes grew even wider in horror as she realised she fell into a trap. Just as that thought passed her mind, a hand grabbed her right shoulder roughly, whirling her around and shoving her back into the wall that limited the sides of the river.

Letting out a cry of pain, her eyes closed while the hand still put pressure on her left shoulder. The staff had been thrown away from her hands when whoever attacked her grabbed her shoulder. It wasn't longer before she felt the cold steel of a blade being put at her neck, it's sharp edge trying to pry open her skin.

She opened her eyes, icy irises shining in anger, to glare at her attacker. However, they widened almost immediately as she landed her gaze onto her attacker. And while he had adopted the same narrowed glare for her, in a mere second his own eyes widened upon seeing her own.

Zed's crimson eyes were widened behind his mask, his hand still keeping Akyo shoved in the wall, while he kept one of his blades on one side of her neck, ready to slice it open. Her wide, beautifull eyes were boring deep into his own, the same surpised aura that his eyes held. While he had no problems seeing in the dark, the booming voice of the announcer resounded when Warwick had been killed on top. He had not seen who killed him, but his summoner said that there were two, and now one who wasn't in a great condition was going down the river towards the mid lane. So he had wasted to time and followed soon.

When he had first laid eyes on the figure, he was sure he had Vayne right in fron of his eyes. The swift walk, the cape going down and the hair flowing gracefully from the ponytail made him think the Night Hunter's life was in his hands now. But he would have never guessed it was actually Akyo's.

It has been a week since she had searched for him in the darkness when she made her appearance in the League. But during this week, they had never met face to face. Probably just stolen glances on the halways of The Institute, but nothing more. He didn't knew why, but he gulped slightly when he saw the slight fear written on Akyo's features. She was his enemy, and he had to kill her.

The same thought passed Akyo's mind. She couldn't help it, but her heart throbbed in slight pain at the thought. Now her life was really in his hands, and while she would respawn in a few seconds, it still hurt. She closed her eyes and slightly tried to move her head backwards. One reason was to atleast try to not feel the blade pressed against her throat and secondly, in the angle she held her head right now, her neck was exposed and only one swift strike was required to sent her to sleep. She tried to avoid another painfull death.

However, what Zed did took her by surprise. He removed the blade from her throat, and disappeared the next second, baffling Akyo. She stood there, frozen, while looking foward with wide eyes. The adrenaline rush eneded soon, and she collapsed on her feet without her accord. Her summoner's voice, painted with worry and slight relief resounded in her head.

'My dear god Akyo, are you alright?!' she heard it say and she gave a light chuckle.

'I'm fine summoner, don't worry. Just a little exhausted.' she explained and heard a sigh of relief.

'You better start teleporting back to base. I honestly don't know if my heart will be able to take another surprise like that one.' she herad the summoner say, as the communication between them went off. Akyo felt the blue rings of the Recall spell surround her, as she gave her own sigh of relief. It wasn't actually the fact that she lived, but it was the fact that Zed didn't killed her with his own will. He choosed to not. And she couldn't be more thankfull.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of the blue base. As her scars and bruises were slowly healed by the fountain, she approached the shop in order to procure some more items and some health potions. When her inventory filled with what she needed, she started making her way towards the battlefield once more. The voice of her summoner ringed in her head again.

'Oh no. A teamfight is going on down the mid, go there. Your team is at disadvantage slightly, but if you hurry we might be able to turn this around. Hurry!' Akyo nodded as she broke into a sprint going towards the mid. Her lane had only one tower down. While in the direction of the enemy base, their inhibitor had been exposed. She heard the ruckus made by the battle, but something else caught her sight.

Vayne had her back exposed and LeBlanc was stalking close to her. Akyo wasted no more time, as she disipated trough the darkness, sprinting even faster than before. LeBlanc was read to one shot Vayne who had activated her final hour to wipe the enemies faster, but Akyo stepped in right then.

Exiting her Shadow Assault, Akyo jumped towards LeBlanc while her runic staff glowed brightly. The mage turned back right in time for the staff to strike her across the face. She tried to recover, but Akyo was having none of it. Strike after strike, it wasn't long before LeBlanc disappeared in a puff of smoke and then two of them to reappear. She thought this was her opening as she tried to run away, her clone going right in the oposite direction. Akyo jumped towards the one that tried to run left trough the jungle, towards the dragon and one more attack was just enough for the red buff to transfer, the announcer's voice booming clearly.

'GODLIKE!' it yelled, and Akyo ran back towards the fight. While she was taking care of LeBlanc, she heard a double kill had been scored by Vayne, while Quinn had also scored a triple kill in their team, Maokai, Vayne and Thresh going down. It was only she and Shen, as Lulu and LeBlanc had also died, Warwick was killed just then, and Akyo caught sight of Quinn trying to recall in a bush, extremely injuried.

Re-entering in her Shadow Assault, Akyo finished Quinn off with just a strike behind the head. The Demacian went down, the bird flying away from her body. As she returned to the midlane, the part that was in the middle of the river, she saw Shen who was also heavily injuried walking towards her. She made a move to help him walk, but stopped abruptly as she saw the faintest of moves behind Shen in darkness.

With reflexes faster than lightning, Akyo ran in front of Shen protecting his back, her staff ready in front of her to parry a blade. Her eyes were narrowed, as Zed glared at his unsuccesful attempt to kill Shen. Pushing him, making him jump a few steps behind, Akyo glanced at Shen.

''Run. I'll handle this.'' she said, when her eyes returned to look at Zed. Shen gave her one last glance before he disappeared in the darkness.

Akyo observed Zed was also injuried, that meant he had participated in the teamfight. She wasn't doing great either, LeBlanc trying her best to stop her from taking her life. As she looked at him, she saw him disappear and cold water washed over her. She saw two other shadows of him coming towards her in a fast speed, and she barely had time to use her Shadow Assault mode to avoid being marked. She was marked, however she knew there was little damage he could do with only just the mark.

Zed growled as he looked around, trying to make out where she was. A blur from the corner of his eyes made him turn around immediately, as he blocked her strike with one of his blades. He slightly pushed her back, and then grabbed two shurikens from his back, throwing them at her. Once missed as she jumped in the left side to dodge it, and one hit her in the left shoulder just where her scar was going.

She stumbled slightly, a small cry of pain escaping her lips. She grabbed the metal shuriken with her free hand, ripping it from her shoulder. She knew if she wouldn't take him down now, the match was going to be lost. Clenching her fists, Akyo started to run towards Zed.

He expected her to try and strike him again, however she leaped above his head. When he turned around, he saw she was running towards him again, this time her hands forming different symbols as his one did when he summoned his portal. Just as she was nearby him, her left hand had a slight red glow and then she pushed her palm on his chest before dashing by him.

Looking down, he realised a bright red mark, the same mark that represented her seal was across his chest, glowing brightly. He remembered this was an earlier technique of his Death Mark, as he had heard about it, and saw her use it a few times. But instead, a powerful enough strike of her runic staff combined with the mark, were enough to kill him in his current condition. He turned around to face her, and as she approached him he closed his eyes in defeat. He saw tears flowing out of her eyes for a millisecond before pain ripped trough his chest.

Akyo took her staff out of Zed's chest, and she closed her eyes, small tears flowing gently from them. When she opened her eyes again, Zed was gone, which meant he had summoned his portal and left. Her vision blurred slightly, and a strangled soft sob escaped her throat. She knew he would respawn in a few seconds, but that didn't helped her at all. Looking down at her hands she couldn't help the thought that passed her mind.

'I killed him with my own two hands.' she thought bitterly, as he palms balled into fists. A calm hand on her shoulder made her blink away her tears, as she turned her head to look at Shen. No words were spoken, yet only that glance was enough to calm her.

''Let's finish this.'' she heard him say and nodded. Taking on a sprint, the two started to push down the mid lane, eventually taking down one inhibitor and two turrets. Vayne joined them soon enough and the three of them took down the Nexus just in time for the first three of the enemy team to respawn.

The structure sucked all the magic that surrounded it, before exploding high in the air, the announcer's voice booming a reassuring word trough the air. Akyo smilled underneath her mask as she heard her summoner's team cheering in her head.

'VICTORY!' the voice said loudly, before she heard her won summoner talk excitedly in her own head.

'Amazing. Uterly amazing! I can't congratulate you enough!' she heard her summoner say, and she couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Blue rings started to surround her body, as she relaxed in their relieving aura. Her team had won, and it felt good to be victorious.

But as she was teleported back into the Insitute, the feeling of being victorious got shadowed by one of immense guilt. When the blue light dispersed from her body, she saw all the summoners shaking hands and commenting, and champions also having their own discussions.

She heard clicking sounds behind her, and turned just in time to see her summoner. A bright smile was spread across her face when she approached her.

''Probably one of the most intense matches in the last week, and you've been holding up so great! It seems you're getting used to summoning magic.'' she said and Akyo nodded slightly.

''Indeed. I'm no longer nauseous when I find myself on the Rift, and headaches stopped a few days ago.'' Akyo explained, and her summoner looked like she wanted to say something before another one approached her.

''That's how you win this kinda thing.'' the other summoner said, as she drapped one arm across Akyo's summoner's shoulders. She was also a female, long red hair, which started to part at the end of her chin in large curles, going past her shoulders and deep turquoise eyes. She looked no older than twenty two, but the summoning robes did little to hide her curves. She had a big smile across her face, while she leaned on Akyo's summoner's frame.

She laughed. ''Hey, you did pretty well too, seems Gabriel got tired of feeding this time.'' Akyo's summoner said and the other let go of her, and both of the girl bit their toungues.

''HEY! I HEARD THAT!'' one masculine voice hollered from somewhere in the other part of the room, as the two summoners in front of her started having a fit of giggles. Not long after Akyo saw Thresh leave the room, a male summoner with short brown hair and and blue eyes approached them. He was tall, and quite massive but not extremely. His brown hair was cut short and clean, and the summoner robes looked quite small for his figure. He looked like a giant, even from afar.

''So Angela, what was that with me feeding again?'' he asked rather unceremoniously as he drapped one arm on the girl seemingly called 'Angela' just in the fashion she did before to Akyo's summoner. It seems he had goten the voices mixed up, Akyo thought with an uneasy smile behind her mask.

''Well I must say, the difference between your kills and deaths stopped going over fifteen.'' Angela noted rather boredly as she removed his arm from her shoulder. The boy's eyebrow twitched.

''As usual, can't admit you're bad. Atleast you stopped dying in the jungle...'' Gabriel admited and the girl's face went as red as her hair. Akyo sensed this wasn't going in a good direction but her summoner stepped in.

''Guys, guys. Come on, stop bickering like little lovers.'' she said with an amused smile on her face, as both of the summoners turned to glare at her, faces red.

''I dare you to say that one more time, Kaleyn.'' Angela said, her tone dark and cold, her face painted with murderous intent. Kaleyn raised her hands up in front of her in a defending pose.

''Hey, hey, hey... No need to get so worked up. Can't handle jokes?'' Kaleyn asked with a sheepish smile. Gabriel scoffed while Angela looked in another direction, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face.

Kaleyn sighed with an amused smile on her lips, and Akyo let out a small chuckle. Kaleyn turned to look at her.

''Ah, almost forgot you were there.'' she said, as she approached Akyo and stood on her right side. ''Sorry for being impolite, but atleast let me show you my life time friends and favorite losers.'' she aded as she bit her tongue again to prevent a giggle from escaping her lips, and Akyo had to stop herself from snorting in amusement when she saw the murderous faces the two summoners had.

''This right here,'' Kaleyn said as she pointed towards Angela ''it's my best friend, and we've known each other since I joined the Insititute. Her name is Angela Reedo. And this,'' she said as she pointed at the boy ''is another good friend of mine. As big as he looks, show him a cute picture and he turns into a mountain of marshmallows.'' she added and the boy slightly rolled his eyes. ''His name is Gabriel Endonne.''

''It's a pleasure to meet you.'' Akyo said as she slightly bowed her head. Both of the summoners nodded, before Angela glanced slightly to the right. The room was filling again, which meant another match had ended. A flash of green caught her eye, as she returned to look at Kaleyn.

''What, did the two lovers fought again?'' a different male voice asked, and Akyo turned around with a raised eyebrow. Kaleyn also turned around, and a beautifull smile graced her lips.

''Stephen!'' she said happily as the boy in order also let a soft smile across his features. Blonde bangs slightly covered his forehead, but aside that it wasn't any longer than Gabriel's. He had deep brown eyes, looking alike just like Kaleyn's. He was very well built, that could be seen even with the summoner robes, and Akyo found herself slightly staring. She turned her face to look at Kaleyn.

''So, let me guess you had another match?'' Akyo heard Kaleyn ask, and the boy nodded. The girl sighed, her eyes fileld with worry. ''You really should take a break. I mean, I know thisis what keeps you on, but-'' the boy stopped her.

''No need to worry, I'm perfectly fine Kaleyn.'' he said, a reassuring hand coming to rest on the girl's shoulder. She smiled at him, before they all saw a flash of green somehwere out of the field of their vision.

Kaleyn's head snapped left just in that moment, her eyes scanning the crowd of new summoner's and champions with hawk eyes. Her face slightly illuminated, as she dashed away from the small group into the crowd. Angela sighed and rolled her eyes, while Gabriel 'tch'-ed. Stephen had a rather disappointed look on his eyes.

''There she goes again...'' Angela muttered, but Akyo picked it up. Looking to her right, she saw Kaleyn was talking with what seemed a man. He had this strange helmet on his head, but his armor confirmed her he was Ionian, looking no older than thirty. Kaleyn had a huge smile on her face, as she chatted with the man. But then Akyo realised who he was.

''Hmm... Intriguing...'' she said softly as she observed the girl. The other two summoners, Angela and Gabriel had started chatting again, and so she was left kind of alone. Biding her goodbies to all of the three summoners, Akyo turned around and left for her room. As her footsteps echoed in the hallway, her thoughts took over her mind.

She remembered the day when she joined the Institute, one week ago. It brought a tender smile to her face when the memory played in her mind.

_One week ago, when she finally saw her apartments, Akyo was slightly surprised. They didn't looked extremely different from the one she had back at the Kinkou. Just as you entered you would be greeted by a small hallway, that would lead into the living. The walls of the living were a soft purple, two windows providing light from the wall in front. One leathery couch stood on the wall on the left, a purple rag with intricate designs on the floor. Across from the couch, on the other side of the table, two armchairs of the same material as the couch stood. The floor itself seemed to be out of oak as a table made out of the same wood stood in front of the couch._

_To the left there was another hallway, this one had two doors on each side of it. The door on the left lend into the bathroom, where as you entered on the right side you could see the toilet, the sink not far from it, a reassuring slightly dark blue covering half of the walls, the rest being filled with white tiles, matching the ones on the floor. Near the front wall there was a bath tub and on the left there was a shower cabin. A closet stood suspended above the ground on the left wall, near the shower cabin, probably filled with towels. Three small rags of the same color as the walls stood one at the sink, one at the bath tub and one at the shower cabin, a larger oval one in the middle._

_The turn of the right in the hallway lead into the bedroom. The walls were painted a deep blue, the color Akyo loved so much. A big window was just in the front wall, covered by a cerulean window curtain. On the left side, there was a king sized bed, covered in the same cerulean sheets. A smooth dark blue rag covered most of the oak wood floor, a nightstand close to the bed.A commode made of a darker type of wood stood on the right wall, a desk with a chair made out of the same material not far from it._

_Once you returned in the living and took the halway on the right, it would lead you towards the kitchen. It had nice indigo walls, and white furniture, the room being eqquiped with everything it needed. Akyo returned into the living and saw Kaleyn had sat on the couch._

_''So, how is it?'' Kaleyn asked as she raised from the couch, approaching her._

_''Very nice. I really like it.'' she admitted and saw the summoner's eyes shine slightly._

_''Well, you'll be staying here for a long time, so I'm glad you're liking it. Also, this is the Ionian wing, I expected you would like a room here. If you wish to move to another wing, don't be afraid to ask.'' she said and Akyo shook her head._

_''It's perfectly fine.'' she added._

_''And also, I have been carefull to put you close to the other Kinkous, since I know they are your comrades. Akali's room is down the hallway on the left, three doors. Shen's the same way, five doors from here. And, I guess I can say unfortunately, Kennen is your neighbour, being just in front.'' Kaleyn said, an apologetic smile on her face. Akyo felt some sweat on her brow. This wont end up well._

_''There's really no problem. Even with Kennen living opposite, I've endured worst.'' she added, as the summoner started taking her leave._

_''Well then, if there's anything else you would like to know about The Institute, or having any problems, don't be shy to search me. I'll help you with everything I can, Lady Akyo.'' she said and Akyo smilled behind her mask. The summoner bid her goodbye and left, and not long after there was a knock on the door._

_Sighing, Akyo went to it and opened it. Looking around, left and right she didn't saw anybody and already wondered if people started pulling pranks on her. Preparing to slam the door shut muttering a string of curses under her breath, it was a squeaky voice she knew so well that interupted her._

_''Hey! I'm here!'' it said, and Akyo looked down to see Kennen. Once she aknowledged his presence, he invited himself in, leaving Akyo to look dead panning at him. She closed the door, just in time to hear some 'wow'-s coming from the living._

_''You surely got a nice place Akyo!'' Kennen said, his eyes sparkling and Akyo let out a soft chuckle._

_''If you ruin it even in the slighest, I'll personally end you.'' she added in a sweet tone and saw Kennen freeze slightly. He had come to visit her at her apartment at the Kinkou, and he never left before ruining something. He robotically turned around, sweat dropping with what was suposed to be an innocent face._

_''A-Aye. No distruction, it's a promise.'' he said, and Akyo walked up to him. She took off her mask, and crouched so they would be on the same eye level again._

_''Even with all the distruction, I still missed you. Yes, I missed even you.'' she said, letting out a small laugh as she ruffled the space between Kennen's ears, like she did a few minutes prior._

_''H-Hey! Stop doing that!'' he said, but she only laughed. Before anything else could happen, there was another knock on the door. Akyo raised to her standing position and went to open the door, only to reveal Shen and Akali._

_''Hey!'' she greeted and made room for them to come in. They all gathered in the living and when Akyo returned she saw Kennen had found himself a nice spot on the soft rug, Akali was seating on the couch and Shen, of course was standing._

_''You're sure you don't want to sit?'' she asked and saw him shake his head. She observed he had something important to say, so she sat on one of the armchairs, waiting for Shen to speak._

_''It's good to see you again Akyo.'' he said, and she smiled at him. ''I'm very glad you were granted the permission to join the League.'' he said and Akyo's smile dimmed slightly._

_''Well, Master Reiko isn't heartless now, isn't he?'' she was pretty sure they had no idea about the mission Master Reiko send her, and she didn't wanted to reveal either. She didn't even want to imagine how Akali would react if she found out Reiko had sent her into the heart of The Shadow Order._

_Akyo was no stranger with Akali's hatred towards Zed. She knew very well the reason behind it too. Akyo was full aware of the fact that Akali wouldn't waste the chance to decapitate him, if she had it. That is why, she had to play the pacifist and keep them as far from one another as she could. While Akali wanted to have Zed's head on a silver platter, Akyo knew that there was still hope for him. She saw it with her own two eyes. He wasn't sucumbed to darkness totally. There was light in that darkness, and she knew she could bring it out._

_Returning to the present, Akyo observed that now Akali was the one talking._

_''That will be left to see. However, we or more specifically I am here to talk with you about an important subject.'' she said, and Akyo saw that Kennen had raised to his feet from his place on the floor, standing next to Shen._

_''Well, whatever it is, say it loud.'' Akyo looked towards Akali, and saw slight hesitation in her eyes. The moment is was there, it disappeared._

_''I must make you aware of the fact that Zed is in the League too.'' Akali said, her tone dead cold. To her surprise Akyo didn't even flinched._

_''Oh really?'' she asked, and saw all of the looked rather surprised. ''Well, how long has it been ever since? Three, four years? Even if this isn't the kind of reunion I hoped for, I guess I'll have to stick for this one.'' Akyo said, and Akali looked rather worried. She had her reasons, Akyo was never this cold or cool when it involved Zed. A crack would always appear on that ice mask of hers, whenever Zed's name was mentioned._

_Akyo sighed. ''Look guys, your worry towards me warms my heart, but I'm fine and I'll be fine. I didn't came here and went trough all that stuff just to close in myself again because of my past. I came here to start a new life, free from all that darkness. And if escaping from my own shadows means facing Zed, I wont hesistate in doing it.''_

_''Very well,'' it was Shen who spoke this time.''I believe in your aptitudes, and it's getting late. We better let you get some rest.'' he said and turned around to leave. Kennen followed soon and Akali was the only one left._

_''Akyo..'' she began, as the two girls stood in front of one another. Akyo shook her head, smilling reasuringly at Akali._

_''I'm fine Akali. I really am. I'll come to you if anything happens, like always.'' she almsot muttered the last part, but Akali chuckled._

_''Alright. Promise?'' she asked and raised her pinkie for Akyo. Akyo let out a laugh, it was the first time they did something so childish since they were young. She grabbed Akali's pinkie with her own._

_''Promise.'' she said, and another smile graced her features._

Akyo dropped with a muffled thud on her bed. Her muscles ached, but she knew tomorrow it will be better. The clock on the nightstand showed the hour 10:45 PM, and Akyo slightly groaned. She was dressed in a pair of comfortable blue shorts and one white T-Shirt, fitted perfectly for her body. Her hair, which had grown long up to her mid thighs was left down from it's usual ponytail. She wrapped the covers around her, as her eye lids started feeling heavy with sleep. The last word that echoed in her head was 'Promise' and her staff ripping trough Zed's chest and then a look on her bloodied hands was the last image before she feel asleep.

**AN : OKAY, you guys probably want to strangle me for being this late with this chapter, BUT I have figured out a solution. This is the largest chapter in TiLiD I have written so far, just cuz I had more time on my hands. So I'm planning an update schedule, one chapter every week. That firstly for you to stop checking this fic everyday, and for me to have more time for my writting, AND get out longer and better chapters.**

**Secondly, I had no idea where I wanted to go with this fic, BUT as usual a dear friend of mine, also known as my 'Beta Ideas Tester' has yet again helped me. Since the first reveal of Vel Khoz we started spending hours and hours talking about conspiracy theories and all that kind of stuff. And also, I wished to write a fic for my lovely summoner over there^ but I got my hands quite busy with this one, so what I'm going to do is that I'll practically split this fic in two large chunks to call it that way. One half will be covered by my summoner and her friends ( who btw are inspired from my real life friends xD) and Akyo and Zed. Why am I doing this? Since I have quite sketched out where I want to go with this fic, covering a little about my Summoner's life in the Institute would help the situation. Of course Zed and Akyo still have the main light here, but I'm going to bore you out with my Summoner's past and stuff. I promise I wont drown in that subject, and try to keep it short and to the point.**

**Now that that's been explained there is something else I wish to adress. There is this amazing writer in the LoL community, who has the best of VeiLu fluff I have ever read. His/Her name is Vitalius, and damn his/hers writting is addictive. Vitalius has made a shoutout to all the followers of his fic, who are writers to try and contribute to a comunity he has established, with any kind of VeiLu fic of any lenght. Now it's my turn to you readers. If you write, it doesn't matter how long or what genre, but please give it a shot. That's another reason I was so late with this chapter, since I try to think of some kind of One-Shot or story for those two cute yordles too. For more info check Vitalius's fanfic : ''Revenge Tastes purple'' last chapter, and leave him/her a review or two. Trust me, it's worth.**

**And at last, I probably should've started with this. I'M SOOOOOOOOOOO SOORRYYYY! GOMENASAI MINNA-SAN! Tell me if I spelled that wrong xD. I have a pretty damn good excuse for such a loooong time without update. Three damn words. Shingeki no Kyojin. That damn anime is addictive as hell, and I've found good ErenMika fanfics I just - *rage sound*. I PLACE ALL THE BLAME ON MY BOYFRIEND's SHOULDERS. I have actually found a video about Shingeki no Kyojin OR Attack on Titan before, but I didn't bothered checking it since I had no idea what was going on at that time. Levi and Mikasa were trying to catch Annie who captured Eren and... Oh noes, I'm so stupid *facepalm*. Those who have watched SnK know what I'm talking about, but if you don't, GO AND WATCH THAT ANIMEEEE. It has only 25 episodes. Short stuff, but filled with damn epicness and feels. And that damn first opening...**

**K, my ramble is over. Tell me what you think in a review. I really do take all of your opinions and thoughts seriously, that's why I'm improving with every other review. Before I leave, here are some replies to your reviews (everybody who reviewed last chapter gets his answer here) :**

**Bathamel : Derp, I guess I failed you this time XD. So sorry. And I'm also sorry, the romance isn't close just yet, but I have some evil plot bunnies in my head. How does a jealous Zed sound? *wiggles eyebrows***

**littleflower54276408 : I was wondering where you disappeared XD! No problem, you reviwed just when I started thinking you probably forgot about me x). And about that 'conversational/emotional/argument moment', I swear I laughed so evilly when I read your review, and even my dear Beta Ideas Tester gave a few chuckles. You have no idea how close you are XD. Kepping the spoilers down :3. ****No need for apologies, dear friend but thanks for the cookies! *noms* . Is it wrong that I just love Zed to death? Not only cause he's so badass, but he's fun to play too? x3**

**Platypus Meh : *eyebrow twiches* If he even dares to lay a finger on her, other than having a perverted thought in his mind (I allow that XDD) with it, I'll make him suffer in the flames of hell.**

**Coski : More excitement! *yay* They're closer than you think, and one of the evil plot bunnies will reveal itself on the next chapter. I do hope you guys wont hate me XD.**

**Guest #1 : Here you have it dear, the next chapter :3.**

**Candhandlemyswag : Why do I laugh everytime I see your name xD. Thanks for the cookie btw, I'm gonna get fat if I keep it like this x].**

**Sabrine321 : They are happy, but they don't quite show it in public. Hope this chapter had gave you a little more happiness :D.**

**Artenyxx : Ohohohoho. And that's not everything she does, but I don't have enough time and space to tell you everything. However, I'll tell you that while she was busy preaching us from some book she had, one of our classmates was practically dancing on his chair. For real. And she didn't even notice until we were all down on the ground, laughing our asses off.**

**Spazway2 : Wait a second... You draw... ? SHOW ME THE DRAWINGS. ME EYES MUST SEE. Seriously, I was so happy when I read your review, it makes my heart do loops when something I do inspires people do create something cool. Pls show me pictures XD.**

**Guest #2 : No prob, now you wont have to wait days and days for the next update, I swear to always be on time with my chapters.**

**Have some cookies, drink some milk and enjoy this week, until we see eachother next Thursday.**

**^~(OvO)~^ - le dancing face **


	9. Chapter 9: My trust

**AN : 6/03/2014 7:24 PM. This is officially when I'm starting to proof read this chapter. Heey~~ I'm not late! And, I've decided to answer everybody's reviews at the end of the chapter, since I love you guys so much for leaving me those small thoughts :D. And littleflower54276408, I have a feeling that you have waited this chapter for a very very very long time ^v~. BY THE WAYYY~, who gets the Shingeki No Kyojin references will receive a hug from me xD.**

**Disclaimer : Such writting. Much words.**

There is light in darkness chapter 8

The Night Hunter gave her last breath, as Zed ripped his blade from her chest. With blood splattering all over, she fell to her knees and then down to the ground. Her soul left her body, as the spawners started working to reconstruct it. Zed grabbed one of her annoying silver arrows from his left arm and ripped it, a hiss of pain leaving his lips. Vayne laid limply on the ground, next to the most annoying Yordle and the mute muse.

Surely, getting that triple kill hadn't been easy. Sona and Vayne had tried their best to stop him, but they were no match, considering the fact Teemo had fell prey to his blades all the time on the top lane. While the majority of the scratches he had on his body where Vayne's doing, he still could feel the poison in his system, clawing at his life. Not like Sona's attacks didn't hurt either, but he really needed to head back to base soon.

As he was going towards the dragon pit, trough the purple's team jungle, he had observed a hooded figure in the distance. When he got close enough to actually look at her, Akyo was panting, trying to regain her breathing. She was finding support on her staff, her hood down from her head, revealing her brownish hair. She had scratches and bruises all over, her clothes being ripped in small portions here and there, revealing red marks, and behind her Zed could see the dead body of Dr. Mundo. Considering the state he found Akyo in, it meant she had taken him one versus one and remained alive, but something didn't quite added here.

He felt somehow worried. Yes, she was only one year younger, but nobody could ever guess that considering the way she fought. She was a real ninja. The best assassin one could ask for, but that didn't meant that giant wall of meat couldn't take her down. He trusted her abilities and her capability to survive, but he just couldn't shake the feeling off. Why, it was beyond his understanding. For now, at least.

However, he felt like he needed the confirmation she was alright, but a bitter part in his heart asked him why would he care after all. Didn't she betray him? None the less, he approached her. Her eyes raised to look into his own, a small glint of happiness shining in them. Slight nostalgia snoothed Zed's bitter heart. They were just two meters away from one another, but before any of them could say something, everything darkened around them.

Acting on instinct, Zed and Akyo closed the gap between them standing back to back, the position meant to not have attackers come from out of their field of view. Their weapons ready in their hands, the two were ready to face whatever wanted to attack them. Both of them tried to use their vision to look trough the darkness of whatever had fallen upon them, but neither could see a thing. Only the warmth of the other's back made sure both of them were still there.

_'Darkness...' _something creepily whispered in Akyo's ear, and she found herslef gasping in slight terror. She had no idea her eyes were unfocused, the worst nightmare she could ever have filling her head. She looked hopelessly in front, Zed being aware of her situation.

But then he saw it, or better said, he felt it. From the darkness, two large red blades lunging at Akyo. Acting fastly, he grabbed Akyo and turned her around around as she ended falling on her back towards the bottom lane into the water of the river. Then, two blades found Zed's back and pushed him against one of the walls of the river. The impact had so much force, it cracked Zed's mask in two, sending it falling towards the ground.

The blades dug painfully deep into his back. He was kneeling on the water, finding support in the wall he was currently pushed against. He slowly opened his eyes to look at Akyo, frozen in horror as her eyes were wide, filled with sadness. She didn't moved, and then Zed tried to gather what little power he had left.

She was broken from the present. She couldn't move, she couldn't think, might as well stop breathing. She stared in front of her, her eyes watching hopelessly that horrifing image sure to give her nightmares. She denied again and again in her head that this wasn't reality, it was just a dream. Just like the one that had plagued her mind before! But she knew in reality that it wasn't. This was just as real as spectrum that had his blades deep in Zed's back right now.

''RUN FOOL!'' Zed yelled, and saw that it had shaked her free from her daze. Hastly getting up her feet, Akyo started running towards their base, with one last glance towards him before she disappeared.

Nocturne growled, as he ripped his blades free from Zed's back, earning a cry of pain from him. Zed was already on four, the deep gashes left by his blades bleeding profusely. As the spirit looked upon the human in front of him, he scoffed.

''Such foolishness.'' his nightmarish voice said ''She was just as much as dead as you were, you could have escaped.'' he said, floating trough the air in such a way he would be in Zed's front. He picked The Shadow Master by his head and some kind of horrible smirk appeared on the spectrum's face. ''Getting soft, are we Zed?''

But even if Zed's life was in his hands, Nocturne couldn't comprehend why was the Shadow Master smirking. It brought something akin to a scowl on his face, a low irritated sound escaping what was suposed to be a throat.

''You could never understand...'' he heard Zed say, as his ghastly eyes narrowed even more ''But while you're here, preaching me life lessons, she's probably back at the base. We're going to win this.'' he continued, his smirk getting wider, a small trail of blood going down from one of the corners of his mouth.

Nocturne growled in frustation, one of his blades coming to ripp Zed's chest appart, a strangled cry of pain escaping his throat. He left The Shadow Master bleed to his death while he started looking for that girl. While he was pretty sure one of them would have sacrificed for the other to escape, he saw the horror in that girl's mind. He saw all of her demons and fears, hidden within that soul of hers. Who would've actually believed that the ones born from within the darkness of the shadows could fear them in such a way?

Zed's smirk never left his face. He didn't had an idea why he did what he did what he did, but he felt somehow relieved that Akyo -hopefully if he might add- was already in base by now. His eyes closed slowly, everything fading into darkness.

Akyo colapsed on her bottom as she finally teleported back to base, the sudden adrenaline rush ending, exhaustion setting in. One hand supported her up, while the other was on her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. There were stains of tears in her eyes, but they were almost gone by now. She had felt extremely weak when she finished Mundo off. That thing simply refused to die! But she didn't gave up, and fought until the end. If you don't win you lose. If you lose you die, but if you win you live. And if you don't fight at all, you can't win. She had learnt that much.

When she saw Zed, some of her exhaustion was gone. He didn't looked okay either, but she was glad he was still alive. After that chaotic teamfight they were forced in, and Akyo having to take Mundo on all by her own, she felt relieved he had survived. When that inexplicable darkness stole away her vision, her exhaustion was completely gone. Then she stared hearing voices. Small ghastly voices, whispering horrible things in her mind. Then she saw it.

What she does remember is a pair of arms whirling her around and throwing her off balance. When she finally woke up form whatever trance she was, the adrenaline rush from when her vision had been stolen away had doubled it's intensity. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage at that moment. While all the bruises she had suffered earlier started to heal, the gigantic wound in her soul couldn't be healed.

Nocturne's Paranoia made her lose her cool. Over the years of the rather 'ugly' life she had lived, with everything that happened in her childhood and all the cruelty of the world she had witnessed, everything had shaped her into what she is today. A cold bloded assassin, never one to question oders. Swift and powerfull, she had reached her mother's level at a young age. Yes, she always wore this ice mask on her face, simply because this world was extremely cruel. Akyo sighed, her eyes drifting into the distance.

She remembered the times when she and Zayenn got along. She appreciated those days like nothing else, keeping them in her mind whenever things between them went extremely sour. For many years, she felt alone with all the world. Even if her mother had told her she would always be by her side and Akyo would always smile, nothing could wipe that feeling. She felt alone, and for a strong five years that thought never left her mind.

That changed on a fateful day, when she met him and her lonely, cold and clouded world started to warm up. Many said he was just like his sister in a way. Cold, emotionless, merciless and many more, but how could they know the truth when they never gave him a chance? She did, and she couldn't have been more thankfull. He brought the sun and the warmth, and her world didn't seemed so lonely anymore. She couldn't help it, but she believed in a person's change. He might not have been perfect, and neither is today, but she would forgive him over and over again if he truly is sincere.

That's what she still believes, everything that had happened on that single one year constantly on her mind whenever she catches his gaze. From the very first meeting in that clearing, up to when they went to the Lunar Festival together, when she had found the compassion she needed when her mother passed away before her own eyes, up until she proved herself worthy to become what she is today, she had never forgotten it.

But she cursed her ability to trust people so easily not long after she passed her trial. She had literally gaven him her heart, and he took it and shattered it on a thousand pieces when he broke her promise. When he betrayed the order, and destroyed that little trust she had gathered on the world she believed up until that point cruel.

After that, she felt numb towards the outside for many weeks. It was then when a carefully crafted ice mask over the years made it's appearance. Even Master Youken was worried when he saw her turn into something akin to a ghost. No more words than were needed, no emotions, nothing.

She was empty.

But then, they slowly sneaked into her life. She refused to let anybody see the wounds on her soul. But they would never have no as an answer, and they slowly but surely helped her heal old scars. Of course, there were some scars only he could heal, but they helped her none the less. After other many years, while she still displayed the same cold personality towards the outside world, she was her old self just for their sake.

Yes, she realised with a sigh one day. This world is extremely cruel, but it's also very beautifull. And their faces appeared in her mind everytime she thought about it. Akali's, Shen's, even Kennen's, but most importantly Zed's. He brought beauty to her world for the first time, and she will never forget it. Deep inside, he was still the boy she met almost ten years ago and she refused to give up on him.

But that nightmare still plagued her mind, rooting itself in her memory. While she had almost perfect self control, that horrible dream managed to make all of her control slip away, even if for a few seconds. And thanks to that, Zed had died in order for her to live. It was a mistake she couldn't help but regret, but how could she have focused with that vision plaguing her mind.

It was almost the same scenario that took place mere moments ago. She was the damsel in distress, he came to rescue her. There was a lot of blood, everywhere. His blood. She slipped, and he saw it. Before it was too late for her, he protected her from certain death and took the blow in her place. She stood frozen, looking at everything with wide eyes, her heart twisting and turning in deep pain.

''Zed...'' she soflty whispered, the hand that was previously on her chest, coming to rest on her head. While her need to cry stopped some time ago, she still didn't found the strenght or the courage to stand up. One hand came to rest on her shoulder and she looked up to meet a pair of amber orbs. There was a young woman, no older than she was.

''It will pass. It was just a nightmare. We all have gone trough it.'' she was demacian by the armor she wore. Blue leather armor, looking almost like wings, a crossbow in her hand and a bird perched on her shoulder. Akyo slightly nodded, as Quinn started walking away.

''I promise I wont let that creepy thing touch you ever again, miss!'' she heard a small, childish voice, and looked down to see Lulu. Akyo had picked herself up from the ground by now, the yordle barely coming to her waist.

Lulu was truly one kind of personality. While they had barely met or even talked, Lulu did remind Akyo a lot of Kennen. She was also energetic in her own way, and set to change this world into a better one. She always saw what was good in people, Lulu being innocent in some ways Akyo could only dream to be. Akyo looked softly at the cute yordle, who looked at her with expectant eyes.

''Is that so?'' Akyo asked softly, letting out a small chuckle before crouching to be on eye level with Lulu. ''Well, I appreciate such a thing very much Lulu.'' she said and the little girl beamed at her. With another soft chuckle, Akyo returned to her standing position before looking trough her shop. Not long after, she left the base with the yordle by her side, determined to make that lame excuse of a ghost to pay. Her eyes narrowed, as an angry flare slowly burned in them.

No more mercy for those who are not worthy of it.

While the fight had gone better than expected in some ways, it was still kind of a huge blow. They had engaged four versus four, and trough some inexplicable miracle, Akyo escaped that teamfight, severly injuried. When the teamfight began, Zed was still dead, or in base, and Nocturne was nowhere to be seen.

Akyo was limping trough the river, moving up towards the baron pit. She intended to recall in a bush nearby, considering her health was extremely low at the current point. She kept aware of her surroundings, not keen on falling to the same trick twice. She was going to take Nocturne on a trip trough all nine Hell's gates and back, only just to see him suffer.

It seemed this really wasn't her good day, when she heard something behind her. Turning around as fast as she could, she saw exactly the core of all her current anger. Nocturne stood not very far away from her, not doing anything. While she was clutching her left arm with her right hand, she was prepared to grab her staff from the holster at any time, if the situation asked for it. Nocturne merely looked at her, like observing her behaviour. However, he slowly started to drift towards her, not in any real hurry. Akyo let an annoyed 'tch' escape her throat, slowly trying to move backwards.

''You're really one that makes me wonder...'' she heard that creepy voice of him say, and her tone was low and dangerous when she answered.

''Oh really? Might as well tell me what's so unusual about me.'' she said, as her steps backwards and his drifting forward didn't ceased. She was closing upon a bush now, and had every intent on making a clean escape.

''Other mortals are smart enough to fear their own shadows, and what darkness hides within...'' he replied and Akyo couldn't help but let out an ironic chuckle.

''People fear what they cannot understand.'' she answered and swore she saw that creature smile.

''But you do, don't you? Your own blood is painted in that darkness, they beeing the ones that had given you birth.'' he said, and Akyo felt cold sweat on her forehead. How can he posibly know so damn much?!

''That is a little over rated, if I might add. After all, I'm a mortal too. It's just that where others find darkness the most horrible place in this entire world, I see it as my own home.'' his drifting stopped, and so were her steps.

Nocturne 'hmph'-ed somehow amusedly. ''That is what intrigues me at you. You say darkness is your home, yet your 'home' is your greatest fear.'' he said and saw Akyo's face pale.

''W-What do you mean?'' she questioned, but she scowled angrily. She had an idea about what he hinted at, but right now she had to play carefully. Stretching time was the best option.

''You know what I mean, Shadow.'' Akyo slightly gasped at his nickname. This was getting over board. ''You know what power the shadows posses, that is why you tried to keep him at bay. Your worst nightmares became reality not long time ago, am I right?'' Akyo gulped, her heart going on a race again. Just how much this spectrum knew about her?

Instead of giving him a response, she tried to turn around and run with what little energy she had left. Nocturne was fast on her heels, sending a claw borned out of the darkness towards her. It hit her, and she fell with a thud and a cry of pain on her front. Turning on her back and proping herself on her elbows, Akyo could only take in the last few breaths of air, before her end. Nocturne slowly drifted towards her, up until the point he was just a few centimeters away from her feet.

''It will be a pleasure to see you drown in your darkness again.'' he said, and Akyo prepared to die. She gulped and closed her eyes for a second, a thousand of thoughts passing her mind. She opened them to glare at Nocturne, waiting for him to kill her off but that didn't happened.

Nocturne dodged in the last second a shuriken sent for him. He looked back and saw only a shadow standing not far from him, and realised suddenly that it wasn't just him and this girl anymore. Surely, not long after, three shadows corned him from three different directions, putting a mark above his head.

He felt slashes after slashes, but that pain was short lived when he could finally gain some distance from his attacker. He turned around to glance at Zed's stern face just before the mark popped and the most painfull sensation filled Nocturne's body. With a nightmarish screech, he fell to the ground defeated.

Akyo had to blink several times in order to comprehend what happened. Everything happened so fast, her brain had a hard time processing it. A few seconds ago she awaited death, and now she stared at Zed's back. When realisation finally settled in, she looked up and saw Zed slightly turned his head to look at her.

She took a breath in, and forgot to let it out. She didn't observed his face when his helmet was destroyed, but now she just felt like all the air from her lungs was gone. His face was serious, almost unfazed. Same brownish messy hair with small bangs covering his deep crimson eyes. While she had seen him unmasked when she was at The Shadow Order, he always managed to get her heart racing just with that face of his. By the time she finished daydreaming he turned around to fully face her.

Painfully, she tried getting up, small grunts of pain escaping her lips every now and then. Zed observed her problem, and stretched a hand to help her up, which she accepted with a thankfull nod. She looked down to the ground, still clutching her bleeding left arm and she felt Zed's gaze set upon her head.

''You better go back. I'll finish this game once and for all.'' he said, and Akyo looked at him, forgeting for a moment everything. It has been so long ever since she hadn't heard his normal deep voice. Everytime she heard him, that mask distortioned his voice and Akyo really came to miss his old one.

She looked like she was about to argue but then sighed and nodded. ''Be carefull.'' she told him, after he made a few steps trough the enemy jungle. He turned his head slighty, as she caught sight of one of his crimson irises once more before he disappeared.

While Akyo was waiting for her injuries to heal, the announcer's voice resounded trough the empty battlefield. It announced one inhibitor had been taken down, along with two turrets. When Akyo finally saw the enemy's nexus explode in the distance, she let out a relieved sigh, a small smile coming to her face. Thankfully, they had won.

When the blinding blue light dispersed, she was grateful to find herself back in the Institute. All of the champions and summoner's have teleported back, and now the usual chatter was taking place. But one voice somehow childish resounded from one part of the room, and Akyo gave a few chuckles.

Laughter from behind her made Akyo's head to turn around to meet Kaleyn's amused face.

''Poor guy.'' she mused, looking towards somebody. Akyo looked in the respective direction, and saw a teenage looking summoner, embarassed out of his mind, while the Tiny Master of Evil was busy making him feel like the tiniest of insects in the world. Akyo snorted amusedly.

''Indeed. Strong essences surely come in small bottles.'' she said, and heard the other girl trying to muffle her laughter. By now, all of the attention was turned towards Veigar and his summoner.

Small giggles could be heard nearby, and both of the girl's attention snapped to see Lulu in the same amused state the rest of the room was. Once their gazes fell upon the little yordle, she became aware of herself and looked up at the two ladies.

''This match had been fun! I really like when you summon me.'' she said, and Kaleyn smiled at the girl. The next comment however catched the two girls off guard. ''You look so pretty...'' the little girl mused and Kaleyn blinked slightly.

She held a few chuckles back, and her eyes landed on a very angry Veigar making his way out of the room, passing just by them.

''Why thank you Lulu. But you're very pretty yourself, isn't that right Veigar?'' Kaleyn said, and saw the other blue dressed yordle freeze. He slowly turned to look at them, golden eyes narrowed with anger.

''What did you say?'' he asked impatiently and Kaleyn let an evil look cross her features, Akyo gulped slightly at the image.

''I told Lulu that she herself is very pretty, and asked for your agreement.'' Akyo looked at the exchange and then saw the look on Lulu's face. It was filled with somekind of hope, a small smile, showing a few white teeth gracing her features. Veigar seemed hesitant in his answer, looking even troubled and Kaleyn had a victorious smirk plastered upon her face.

''Yea sure, whatever...'' he mumbled before he turned instantly to leave. Akyo swore she caught sight of pink on his face, but she was sure it was going to be red soon, considering Lulu had already took off to get him. This reminded Akyo she had to see Zed.

Her eyes darted around the room, until she saw him. She saw he felt slightly awkward without his mask, so he hurried to leave. Akyo was fast on his heels, taking up on a sprint to catch up on him. She called his name a few times before she finally reached him on the long hallway.

''Zed!'' she said the fifth time since he left the room, and he turned around to look at her. All of her earlier courage was slightly gone, his stern face making her hesitate slightly. He looked into her eyes, and she found it hard to break the contact. Steeling her nervers Akyo gathered all of her courage.

''I wanted... To thank you.'' Akyo had a hard time keeping her vocie straight, considering his unwavering gaze. He merely raised an eyebrow in question.

''What for?'' Zed asked, and Akyo slightly bit her lip. Her mask had also been lost trough this match, and he couldn't deny that even if he should be extremely bothered by her presence, seeing her face after so long was a pleasure to his eyes.

''For saving me. I mean, for saving me both of the times Nocturne wanted to kill me.'' she explained, and Zed looked as unfazed as ever. His eyes seemed almost cold, but boiling with something Akyo could not recognize. It was as if he tried to control his anger, and all was directed towards her. In one word, she was uterly confused.

''You were unfocused on the task at hand, of course I had to stop Nocturne from getting easy kills from your foolishness.'' he said, his tone deadly cold just as his eyes. Akyo's own widened a little. Why did he sound so extremely angry and distanced. What had she done wrong?

Believing this was the end of their conversation, Zed turned around to leave. However, a hand grabbing his wrist in a soft grip stopped him in his tracks immediately. He turned around to face Akyo, her eyes looking saddened.

''I don't get it.'' she said, and Zed arched an eyebrow. Before he could ask anything, she explained herself.

''I simply don't get it. Ever since I've entered the League, you're always distant or angry at me. It's not like I've expected you to be dancing around or anything, but why are you like this to me? What have I done wrong?!'' she said, her voice weaker and weaker with every word. Zed could feel his anger boiling harder at her question.

''What have you done wrong?'' he said, his tone so low and dangerous, Akyo felt her heart jump in fear.

''Y-Yes, I don't know what I-...'' he cut her off, his tone deadly cold.

''You have betrayed me, that's what you did.'' her face turned into one of pure confusion.

''I-I did what?'' her voice wavered slightly, but what more she was scandalized. She did what?

''Don't play the fool on me Akyo.'' he said, and removed his wrist from her grasp. She cringed slightly.

''I still don't get it. How did **I** betray you?!'' she asked, her own anger starting to rise. This was getting ridiculous.

Zed slightly shook his head. ''You remember, don't you? The day I said there was a spy in my Order. I was stupid enough to believe it wasn't you.'' her face blanked.

So he knew. He knew she was there. But how did he find out?

''I...'' she tried to explain, the previous anger she felt turning into guilt.

''I can't believe it. Firstly, Zayenn tells me you're dead, only to have you show up at my doorstep a few years later under a different appearance. And you know what's even worst?'' he took a small pause. ''I trusted you, and you broke my trust.''

Akyo felt something inside her snap.

''I have been stupid myself, but you knew all along what you were doing, and yet you kept going, not carring abou-'' Zed felt his head snap to the right, a stinging sensation in his left cheek.

The slap resounded clearly in the empty hallway, and Akyo's hand was still in the air. Her face was oriented downwards, her eyes hidden from view. Both of them stood like that just for a few seconds, unable to move.

''I broke your trust?'' Akyo said, her voice shaking slightly. Zed finally turned his head to look at her, but couldn't see her eyes yet. Her hand dropped next to her body, turning into fists.''But how about my trust Zed?'' she asked him, finally raising her eyes to look at him. They were glazed, with tears yet to be shed. Zed was too much into shock to actually answer.

They were broken. In a thousand shards, and they were empty. The last time he had seen her this way was when her mother died, and not even then she looked so destroyed. Her face was slightly angry, telling him that he had surely screwed something up.

''How dare you to say I broke your trust when you stepped on mine without shame nine years ago?!'' she asked, her face becoming angrier and angrier. Some of the shock evaporated, and he was finally able to respond.

''What do you mean?!'' he asked, and saw her cringe in anger, one tear going down her cheek. He surpressed the stupid urge to wipe it off, his left cheek still burning.

''You-you idiot...'' she said, one silent sob escaping her throat. ''You promised me, and yet... I take my eyes off you for a few days and you-'' her voice cracked, and Zed tried to think about what she said. Promise? What promise?

And then, there was a flash. A memory from the distant past.

The small face of a younger slightly saddened Akyo appeared in his mind. Her irises were filled with fear of something he at that point, couldn't comprehend.

_'If you were to become more powerfull, then you'd leave me, since I'm a weakling.' she told him, and Zed felt slightly shocked by her declaration._

_'I'd never leave you.' he heard himself say, a younger version of his voice sounding in his mind._

_She blushed, that cute little blush that made her so darn adorable and avoided his gaze. He called her name, and she looked back to him._

_'I'm serious. If it makes you feel better, I promise that I will never leave you. No matter what.'_

'The promise...' he thought, and his eyes slightly widened in realisation. How could have he been so stupid? How could have he forgotten about it?! He returned to the present, and saw Akyo's eyes were cold, emotionless. She looked almost dejected, like she had been the one slapped across the face.

''I don't even know why I have ever hoped...'' she said slowly, her voice filled with pain but distant. ''that you have never changed.'' she finished, and let out a sigh. She averted her eyes down, and started to leave. Moving past him, her steps were heavy but fast. In a last attempt to try to fix this huge mistake he had done, Zed turned around and grabbed her by the wrist stopping Akyo in her tracks.

She slightly turned her head, but he couldn't see anything from the hair that covered her face. She jerked her wrist free from his grasp, and she turned to look at him. She gave him one of her cold treatments, something Zed has yet to see at her. She looked at him like she would look at an annoying child. Her gaze was dead, no emotion whatsoever present in them. Zed couldn't help the slightly surprised face he had.

Without another word she turned on her heels and started to walk towards her room. As soon as she turned around, crystal clear tears poured out of her eyes, down on her cheeks. While she was extremely silent, her face set in a monotone one, the tears were just the tip of the iceberg.

She had a feeling that from now on, things between she and Zed had shifted permanently. And she was no longer the one willing to forget. With a pained sigh, she realised that up until this point, she had this childish hope that underneath all that darkness, the boy she once knew was there.

'Just how foolish one can be?' she wondered, as her steps continued trough the Institute. The tears kept coming down her cheeks, in silent waves as she sighed again and looked forward. She wiped them off with one hand, as she reached her apartment. She stared intently at the door, before opening it and closing it shut behind her.

The entire exchange was witness however, by two young girls. They both had summoner robes on them, and they stood at the begining of the halway, one brown haired one looking rather worried, while the other had a slightly saddened face.

''Oh dear...'' the brown haired girl mused, her left hand coming to rest on her mouth, her other arm supporting the left one. Next to her, a red haired girl with turquoise eyes 'hmmm'-ed in agreement.

''Indeed. This definately wont have a happy following. But this is their problem Kaleyn.'' the red haired one said, as the other kept looking forward.

Kaleyn sighed. ''Yeah, but it's sad to see it fall apart so easily and do nothing Angela. Let's just hope that atleast they will find their happy ending.'' she said, her tone slightly pained as she started walking. The other girl gave her friend a concerned look before following her down the hallway.

**AN : THE CLIFF ASS HANGERS~~! I know you probably hate me, but I had tooooo. Now, I'll introduce somebody from the previous story you guys probably hadn't paid much attention. I had big plans for that boy ever since I thought about him. Shit is about to get real, as for all the squeals were going to have a Jealous!Zed around~~ Ahh the glooory. Also, have you found the SnK references? :D . I'm going to pardon those who have no idea what this anime is about, but I'M WAITING FOR YOUR REVIEW Balthamel x3**

**On with the answer towards your pretty reviews 3 :**

**Balthamel : *cries* You're so lovely lemme hug you *hug* . I'm glad you're excited abotu Zed getting pissed off at somebody else messing with his gurl, can't wait to see what you think of the next chappies. The anime is pretty good, you shoul watch it. And as soon as I finished the anime, I started the manga from chapter 1. Not. Disapointed.**

**ADamnGoodName : I will sir! *salute***

**Saladeo : Thanks for the cookie. *noms* and it's low calories?! Oh sir, thank you very much.**

**Guest : L-L-Look! I'm in time with the chapter! *sobs***

**littleflower54276408 : Just so ya know, I was very intrigued by the sugestion and thought about it, buuut I realised I didn't add it AFTER I wrote the chapter. To make up, the next chapter will focus much more on Zed. And thanks for the feedback considering Akyo's kit. If that's op, I'm scared to show you the previous one XDD. HERE YOU HAVE YOUR MOMENT *glorious music*. Am I that predictable ^^''? And honestly, I really don't knwo how to help you out with your client. Try reinstalling it, and if that doesn't works, ask Riot for help ( like that would change anything ).**

**canthandlemyswag : Seriously, I know she's OP damnit. That's why I asked for opinions XD. And by PL you mean PhantomL0rd? Op shit. Also, I'm glad you like my update schedule, saves both of us a lot of trouble. And, you went Draven mid? If it was a ranked match and you played versus Ahri, this would be a very weird coincidence... *it happened last season to me***

**Spazway2 : Glad it does XD. It means I'm doing this thing right. Also, I'm extremely curious about your writting, pweeeaaase lemme see dem! And, umm * awkward sigh * I've searched your name on google, and found a tumblr, but I'm not quite sure if I got it right, so could you be more specific? Like, you have a blog or your own site, or I actually got it right? xD**

**Coski : Y-You couldn't sleep? *sorry* And yup, you have my promise I will be on time with all the chapters! Glad you're also enjoying the next evil plot bunny in my head ^v^**

**Sabrine321 : Damn good idea. Planning upon using it later, maybe have a sweet moment after~**

**Artenyx : I shall not fail you, my faithful reader, for I will never leave you down!**

**K, enough talking already (lol, I'm joking). Just so you know, there are a few SnK cracks around the YouTube. My favorites by far are Shingeki no Stupidity ( edits are so damn good ) and Trollin' on Titan . Check those out, you SnK fans. Trust me, you'll laugh your ass off. Also, now I'm making some research I guess on the rather 'hot' part of the fandom, since after all this drama I have here, we do deserve some sweet lemony pie, am I right? And I swear to Jeesus, never have I met such a damn popular Yaoi couple like Eren and Levi. For real, where does this ship even starts?!**

**Either way, I went rambling again. Thanks for all your support, it's highly appreciated. Leave a review, and don't forget the warm cookies! (low calories :D)**

**Cya~**


	10. Chapter 10: Strange or Familiar?

There is light in darkness chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Le Sigh...**

_''I don't even know why I have ever hoped...'' she said slowly, her voice filled with pain but distant. ''that you haven't changed.''_

It's been some time, but her words stung just as bad as her slap did back then. And it wasn't just her words. The look she gave him before she left. She was unrecognizable. Not even when they were kids and got into fights, she had been so deadly cold towards him. But that was probably because at the time he has yet to hurt her that bad.

When she was young, she looked so frail and fragile. Whenever he would see Zayenn throw her small body around, he couldn't help but cringe slightly. And yet, even as wounded and bathered as she was, she always managed to get back on her feet again. Only to be beaten down once more.

It wasn't physical pain that she couldn't handle. He saw his fair share of how much strenght she had at the time. He saw it in her eyes, when he met her at the clearing back then. Aside of the fact he almost made her jump out of her skin, she let out more that she thought. He saw in her eyes things that he was aware his own held.

Loneliness. Pain. Never beeing able to beat the older sibling. Even your parents abandoning you for the superior one. Beeing alone with all the world.

Not like he would have admited back then, but she did more than just keep him away from ''darkness''. Her presence snoothed him in way nobody or nothing else could. Her voice, always so soft and light, it made his heart flutter slightly. Her smiles made even his dark mood light up, and her laughter ... was the most angelic sound he had ever heard.

And he was probably the only one who ever managed to see all of it. Because, at the time he was her only friend. Everything started just as a win-win situation. He helped her, she helped him, there was nothing to lose, so why not just go with it?

But, he would have never belived she would break so easily the walls he made in front of his emotions. He didn't show them a lot when he was young. Other than pure hatred and anger, there was nothing more one could see in him. But she saw much more. She made him laugh a few times, smile and happy in general. They argued yes, but it wasn't lasting.

He opened to her in way he never had before. And in return, she did the same.

At first sight, she was shy. Head always bowed down, her eyes always looking at the floor. Her shoulders were always slumped slightly and her face was set in doll like one. That was Akyo for everybody. But when she was with him, she was most of the time smilling.

He didn't realised it until one week ago, that he had shattered that smilling girl. He remembered when Zayenn told him she was dead. It felt like a blow to his stomach. She couldn't have been dead, could she? He didn't wanted to believe she was. But the necklace he still had was more than enough proof to him that Zayenn wasn't lying.

And then this girl appears at the doorsteps of his order. Looking extremely familiar, he let her in the Order and she proved herself a skilled warriror. She reminded him so much of Akyo, but little did he knew she was right under his nose.

That one night, when she left and her charm fell in his room, he felt betrayed. He was glad that she somehow survived, but it was beyond his credibility on how could she just come in and out without any remorse. After all, did he ever hurt her like this?

And then, it was the incident a mere week ago. The last thing he wanted to do was to talk to her. Not only that he showed weakness for her once, but twice. Firsty when he refused to kill her in that match when they met for the first time, and secondly when he took Nocturne's blow in her place.

When he finally put the facts on the table, he saw her pale, meaning he was right. She betrayed his trust without a second thought. But then, she literally slapped some sense into him. She may have betrayed him, but he had broken her trust without even giving it a second glance a longer time ago.

But why did he care, he couldn't help but wonder. It was a promise he did when he was young, foolish. It was a promise he did when he was a child, why would he still keep it? Why would he hold onto such a stupid act? But, in the same time, it seems she did hold onto his promise.

This thoughts refused to simply leave Zed's mind. They kept bothering him every time of the day. Whenever he found himself in a quiet place, things would always turn into this direction.

His footsteps echoed slightly in the empty hallway. It wasn't like he was trying to be stealthy. He was returning to his apartments after some meditation done in the gardens of the Institute. As he continued walking down the hallway, he heard chatter and trough them, a voice he recognized so well. Picking up his pace slightly, he hid behind a statue in the hall when he was close enough to look at the two people talking. His eyes narrowed as he tried to pick up their conversation.

~(o-o)~

Akyo scowled slightly at the piece of paper in her hand. She knew she had, along with her other three Kinkou comrades, to help the Institute prepare for Snowdown. However, Kaleyn surely had some strange tasks and she wouldn't even start talking about Kolminye.

While she still tried deciphering the writting on the paper, her feet guided her towards Kolminye's office. She raised her eyes for a second to make sure she got the good way, before looking down on the piece of paper once more. She saw the pattern on the floor changed slightly, which meant she was getting closer.

When she finally raised her eyes, she saw the door to Vessaria's office. But something else caught her attention. A man, no older than she was probably, was leaning on one shoulder on the left wall right next to Vessaria's door, his arms crossed. He had lime colored ninja suit, followed by messy short black bangs. He was well built, she could say that, and pretty tall. In one word, he was extremely handsome. At the time, his eyes were closed. But the crest on his chest told Akyo everything she needed to know. He was a Kinkou ninja.

She approached the door, intent set on entering the office. Once he heard her footsteps, the man opened his eyes to reveal ocean deep blue eyes. Akyo had to pause in her movement for a moment. Why did she felt like she knew this man from somewhere?

Her train of thought was however ruined when the door opened, and Kaleyn exited the office. After she closed the door, she looked to her left and noticed the man.

''Ah!'' she exclaimed rather happily. ''Miss Vessaria has been waiting for this letter for some time. Thank you.'' she added, and accepted the letter the man handed her. After the summoner finished her phrase, his eyes glided towards Akyo's direction. Kaleyn was soon to pick it up and follow his gaze, as she turned her head around.

''Lady Akyo!'' she said again, the same slight excitement in her voice. Akyo swore she saw the man's eyes widen, his gaze unbealiving. However, her attention was redirected to the girl in front of her.

''Ah, yes.'' she paused for a second, holding the piece of paper up. ''I have talked with both Sona and Kog Maw... Or better said, I've talked to Sona and she **will **try to transmit it to Kog Maw...'' she saw the other girl smile uneasy. ''Sona agreed to hold a concert in the night of the Snowdown as usual, accompanied more or less by the void creature.'' she said, handing the piece of paper to Kaleyn.

''I see...'' she paused a little, deep in thought. The girl's gaze lingered on the paper, staring at it like she could read what it was written. While the writting itself was cursive, the symbolds that were wirtten on the paper were unknown to Akyo. ''You asked about the Penta Kill Band too?'' Kaleyn asked, and saw Akyo slightly cringe.

''I did, as a matter of fact...'' she said uneasy ''Sona agreed to talk to the rest of the band, but it's not sure if they will have a concert or not.'' Akyo explained and the summoner 'hmmm'-ed. ''And, if I might add, I prefer Kog Maw than hardcore Rock'n Roll in the night of Snowdown.'' Akyo said, slight agitation in her voice. Kaleyn displayed an understanding smile.

''Well, these facts should reach Vessaria's ears...'' the young summoner mused to herself. ''However.'' she said and turned sharply looking towards the man.''I'll need you stay a little bit around here for some more time. You see, a lot of things got overlaped, but it wont take long.'' she explained while walking towards the man, a slight apology in her eyes.

''No problem.'' he said, and Akyo had to considerate the deepness of his voice. 'Very masculine...' she thought.

''Alright. I'll try to return shortly with some answers concerning this.'' she said, raising the envelope he handed her moments prior. ''Thanks for the patience, Ryo.'' she added, as she opened Vessaria's office door and closing it behind her.

Silence is what ensued next. Akyo was still looking at this man, but she had a hard time processing. His eyes set a very deep familiarity within her, and she felt she had met him before. But exactly where?

He raised to a normal standing position, and approached her. He was standing a good ten centimeters taller than her, as he looked down on her with emotionless eyes. She returned his gaze, not beeing moved in the slighest by it's intensity.

''Shadow Born.'' he greeted, as he took two steps back and bowed to her, one hand behind his back and one across his stomach. The traditional Kinkou salute. She arched an eyebrow, but let out an inward sigh. Considering the position she was curently in the Kinkou, she was used to over politeness.

''We are not on grounds of Kinkou, so there is no need to do that.'' she said looking up at him. While she spoke, he had risen from his posture, and was looking at her again. She couldn't help it, really. He was very familiar. And his name triggered something in her mind, but that was it. Just a spark, and nothing more.

''It's an honor to finally be able to meet you personally. Master Reiko said I could find you in the Institute if I need any help.'' he explained and she nodded.

''Mind if I ask what bussiness brings you here, at the Institute of War?'' she inquired, and he hummed slightly.

''Master Reiko never said any details, only he said that the letter that the summoner picked up now must reach High Summoner Vessaria as fast as it could.'' Ryo explained again, and Akyo's eyes narrowed slightly. She wondered what could possibly be so urgent.

However, her train of thought was stopped short, when the door to Vessaria's office opened, and a very annoyed Kaleyn stepped out of the room. When she saw the two ninjas questioning her with their eyes, she tried to hide her previous annoyance with a smile.

''I'm extremely sorry,'' she began, an apologetic look on her face. ''but you'll have to stay around here for awhile, since Miss Kolminye is extremely busy at the moment.'' the young woman explained, and Ryo nodded. ''We will provide you with a dorm, and everything you need. Consider yourself at home here at the Institute.'' she smiled and turned to leave, but she stoped halfway and turned back to look at Akyo.

''Lady Akyo,'' she began, approaching the said woman. ''could you please acompany Ryo during his stay at the Institute?'' she questioned, and Akyo's eyes widened slightly. She nodded. Ryo's eyes narrowed slowly, and Kaleyn smiled sheepishly at him.

''It's not that I don't consider you capable of taking care of yourself,'' she began ''but the Insitute is a very unique place, and I would really prefer for you to not be corrupted, frozen, burned, or even poisoned to death.'' she explained, and Ryo's face was drained of color. Akyo sweat dropped.

''Don't worry, my schedule is not busy this week, so I'll keep an eye on him.'' Akyo assured and Kaleyn sighed in relief.

''Great! I'll be on my way then!'' she exclaimed, as she turned on her heels and entered the office once more.

''Corrupted, frozen...?'' Ryo mumbled absent mindendly, and Akyo chuckled.

''Don't worry. Champions are not allowed to use powers outside the Fields of Justice, but I think she said that simply to warn you. This place is somehwere to be careful.'' she explained, and he nodded slightly.

''I understand, but still... Burned, poisoned to death?!'' he looked at her increduously, and Akyo let out a laugh, before she spoke again.

''She only listed the best case scenarios, trust me.'' she noted, as she began walking down the halway, Ryo following suit two steps behind her. She sighed.

''I told you, you don't need to treat me like I'm superior or anything. These kinda things piss me off at the Order, but I have no choice there. Here, you don't have to walk behind me.'' she explained, a rather annoyed tone on her voice, but he started walking by her side now.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the unusual silence of the hallways was filled with voices, shouts, screams of glee and some of terror, and all kinds of noises. Hurried footsteps and even thuds could be heard everywhere, as the hallways started beeing filled with champions and summoners.

''Wow...'' Ryo murmured, as they passed Nasus, as he was chatting away with a female summoner, with long black hair and dangerous green eyes. He casted them a mere glance, before he returned his attention towards the summoner once more. Akyo smiled slightly.

''The Institute shelters creatures and beings from all of the ground of Valoran.'' she explained, as she caught sight of a levitating octopus like creature, four ugly purple eyes the most obvious feature. ''And not only Valoran, but creatures from beyond our world.'' she added.

''This place surely is unique. Never before have I seen a place with some many beings enchanted and gifted with magic.'' he paused, as they caught glimpse of Annie, who had a lively fire dancing in her hands, with a very terrified Amumu watching. ''All types of magic, if I might add.'' he finished, and Akyo 'hmph'-ed amusedly.

Ryo suddenly stopped, and Akyo almost bumped in someone, but she caught herself in time. She looked up at him, and saw his eyes were narrowed dangerously, a venomous glare emanating from them. She was about to question his behaviour, when she followed his gaze and her breathing stopped without her own acord.

Leaning comfortably with his back against a wall, there was Zed as he looked boredly in front of him. Nearby Syndra was chatting away while glancing in one of her orbs everynow and then. Akyo gulped slightly, her posture stiffening. This was the first time she saw him ever since she... slapped him shamelessly across the face.

Now that she thought about the event, the stinging sensation in her palm didn't bothered her at all at that point. Altho, later, she thought it was kind of extreme, and some of the anger turned into guilt. Maybe she shouldn't have slapped him, but what's done it's done, and she couldn't do anything about it now, could she?

''Why have you stopped?'' he asked, her voice sounding a little bit more strangled that she wished it would. She looked forward, avoiding Ryo's eyes.

''I saw **him **and I couln't help it. Master Reiko never told me about this.'' he explained, and out of the corner of her eyes, Akyo observed how his palms balled into fists.

''Don't be a fool.'' she said sternly, a little bit more sternly that she wished. ''He is a Champion of the League, and he is protected by the conduit here. If you don't want yourself on the summoners' bad side, I'd suggest you'd drop it.'' she saw he was still tense. ''I understand how you feel, but getting worked up on it wont help. We ignore him, he ignores us. We're different factions, we have nothing to discuss. And even...'' she began, her tone more softer this time ''if you think about challenging him, there's no way you could ever lay a scratch on him.'' she finished, and started walking forward once more. Ryo followed her without another word.

Syndra's chatter didn't help Zed's mood at all. But there wasn't much he could do about it. He never paid any attention to it, and he found it rewarding now. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her. Stiff and straight as a board, Akyo carried herself forward, not even casting a glance towards him. He knew she was aware of his presence, that's why she was so tense and mechanical in movements. He followed her with his gaze until she was out of his field of view. A scowl appeared on his face when he noticed that excuse of a ninja which walked by her side, shoot him what was suposed to be a glare, before he continued to look forward.

It was beyond Zed's knowledge, but at that point, something started burning slowly, a flare of anger. But this anger wasn't like anything he had ever felt before. But at that point, whoever was that guy, he didn't liked him. Maybe it was just how simply familiar he acted around her, or how pitiful that excuse of a glare was, but he didn't liked it.

On the other side, without alerting either Akyo nor that boy named Ryo, he had heard their little conversation. He saw how he looked at her the first time, how his eyes shined in a way it made Zed's temper go up a thousand grades. But then, he was playing the goody two shoes boy, not wanting to make a wrong impression are we? Zed knew it, there was something wrong with this guy, but he couldn't quite place a finger on it right now. One thing was for sure tho, if this guy wasn't going to get himself in trouble, he'll get Akyo.

Akyo let out a breath she didn't realised she was holding, after Zed was out of her sight. Her posture relaxed slightly, and her footsteps weren't so fast anymore. Her eyes were set onto the floor, a thoughtful gaze on them. When she pased him, she felt it. The intensity of his gaze. But it wasn't as hot and angered as she would expect it. It was simply observing, and even challenging slightly, asking her to look at him. She couldn't.

''You alright?'' she jumped slightly as she was broken out of the train of thought. She looked up at Ryo, and a slight worried gaze was set in his blue eyes. Despite the fact that she wore a mask, she tried to smile reasuringly.

''Ah, yes. I-I'm fine, just a little thoughtful, that's all.'' she explained. She turned her eyes back on the road, trying to look detached by the situation. When Ryo spoke, she was sure she was failing badly.

''Did he do anything to you?'' he questioned, and Akyo bit her lip absentmindedly. She shook her head.

''No, it's not that.'' she explained, but as Ryo's gaze never left her form, she continued. ''I-It's complicated. I don't want to talk about it.'' she tried to close the subject, her tone a little bit more angrier than she intended.

There was a slight pause, awkward silence filling the air. ''I didn't mean to upset you.'' she heard Ryo say, and she sighed sadly.

''You didn't... It's just that,'' she paused, choosing her words carefully. ''I need to sort out the thoughts in my head before sharing them with anybody else.'' That was a lie, of course. But she simply didn't wanted to talk about something so personal with somebody she'd just met. She had already shared the subject with all of her Kinkou friends, and of course, the answers varied from one extreme to the other.

_~(o-o)~_

_They were in Akali's apartment, late at night. Akyo decided she will spend the nigth there, since she was too exhausted to raise to her legs, and used the chance she had to talk with Akali about the incident with Zed._

_Akali's green gaze seemed more dangerous than never after she heard the entire story. Akyo was looking slightly uncomfortable, but Akali didn't hesitate in her answer. 'You know very well what my opinion about Zed is. What you have told me only will give me another reason to erase his existence from this world.' she said coldly, and Akyo sighed inwardly. She expected this much._

_~(o-o)~_

_Kennen sat on her bed, his legs crossed. He had one toughtfull h__and under his chin, the other supporting it. He looked down at Akyo's carpet, as she sat behind him on the bed. She was looking up at the ceiling, her knees bent as she moved her feet absent mindedly up and down._

_'Hm...' Kennen mused thoughtfully, as he kept staring at her carpet. 'While I have not interacted a lot with Zed myself, I can give you an advice.' he said, as he turned to look at Akyo. She moved her head to look at him. 'As long as he really looks for your forgiveness, you should not deny it. If he's willing to pay for his sins, then you should give him this chance.' he finished, and Akyo kept looking at hery furry friend, a silent sigh escaping her nose._

_The sun was slowly setting down, casting a warm orange glow upon the gardens of the Insititute. Akyo and Shen were meditating as always, but even if their eyes were closed and there was barely any movement or sound coming from them, Shen broke the silence suddenly._

_'Your emotions are conflicting, and they confuse you.' he said, as Akyo opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. 'But you should not give up on the hope you've held for the past years. Believe in it, as I believed in you. You are probably the only one who can change him, who can help him find balance.' he opened his eye as well, as he looked into her own. 'Don't give up Akyo, he can be saved.' he finished, and Akyo looked slightly amazed at Shen. She let her gaze travel to the ground, as she nodded her head._

_~(o-o)~_

And even after all the advice she received, she still had a hard time approaching the matter. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't approach him right now. She wasn't going to give up, that was something she decided already. But she knew right now, they needed time and space. Things were kind of complicated between the two of them right now, so beter treat everything carefully.

''By the way,'' Ryo broke her out of her daze, as she returned to the present. ''the summoner never specified where I will stay for the following days.'' he noted, as he eyed Akyo. She narrowed her eyes.

''Well,'' she began.''as you might've seen, they are really busy at this time of the year. There's this event they call ''Snowdown'' at it happens once a year around this time. They celebrate the winter, and create a festive atmosphere for both summoners and champions.'' she explained. ''She will tell us sooner or later, altho I prefer the first. Until then, it wouldn't probably hurt if we were to share my apartment.'' she offered and saw how his eyes widened slightly.

''I-If it's not too much of a bother, Lady Akyo. I don't mean to trespa-'' she stopped him, sighing annoyedly.

''While I don't trust you with my personal problems yet, I trust you as my comrade. It's plainly fine, it does not bother me.'' her tone was soft, as she watched Ryo's face turn to normal once more.

The halways were indeed festive, covering them in an eerie snow and coolness. She could see different decorations hanging off the walls, even trees getting decorated for the season as well. In the night of Snowdown, there was practically a big party that was going to be set in motion, and it was only a few nights away.

It wasn't long before they reached the Ionian wing finally. As she approached her apartment, Akyo caught sight a short purple suited yordle which came her way at high speed.

''Akyo!'' it called, a hidden excitement in his voice. He stopped and looked up at her, her eyebrows high in her forehead. ''You will never believe what The High Conselour told us she wants us to do for the day before Snowdown.'' he explained and took a breath before his eyes landed on Ryo. ''Who's this guy?'' he questioned non-challantly an arched eyebrow in his direction.

''My apologies Heart of The Tempest.'' he greeted Kennen the same way he greeted Akyo, and she couldn't help the inward chuckle. He was too polite. ''My name is Ryo, and I have been sent at the Institute with important matters by Master Reiko. It seems I'll be staying here for some time.'' he explained as Kennen narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

Akyo was the one to break the silence. ''He's going to hang around with me, since I have a free programe until the day before Snowdown.'' she explained and saw how Kennen's expression changed.

''Well, you must have not heard but...'' he began, as he averted his eyes down. Akyo raised an eyebrow. There was something fishy going around.

''But?'' she questioned and saw how Kennen cringed.

''I don't know much about it, but Akali will explain everything to you.'' he began, looking around before returning his attention to Akyo. ''Right now, I gotta go. I have... A match to get to!'' he excused himself fastly, as he moved past her and started running with lightspeed again. Akyo looked dumbfoundedly at him again before sighing.

''Well, that was something.'' she said before turning her attention towards her apartment once more. Opening the door, she allowed Ryo to enter in first before she also entered and closed it behind her.

**AN: Long wait for crappy chapter. *sees how every reader has prepared a very painfull torture device* B-But I'm telling you things are just starting to pick themselves up. We have a Jelly!Zed looming around with a SoonToBeCassanova!Ryo. It's snowdown, so expect a lot of actual humorous situations right now, and of course Akyo will be in the middle of them all. A friend of mine, my glorious friend, actually gave me an idea for a new arc, so I'm just processing it right now. And, HOLY SHIT ALMOST 100 REVIEWS, YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME, I DESERVE TO DIE IN A HOLE FOR MAKING YOU WAIT FOR SO LONG /3.**

**Now, onto the replies!**

**ADamnGoodName: I'm so glad you're loving it! *sobs* A-Are you for real? T-The best story on ? *cries happily***

**littleflower54276408: I'M SO SORRY PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME. I PROMISE THEY WILL MAKE UP, SO D-DON'T SPIT ON MY GRAVE X_X. I-I guess I failed you with that two weeks update...****gomenasai ****I'm sorry you had to scream at your laptop. Of course they wont be together, what kind of writer do you think I am? They'll just be near that edge that's all... *coughs* .  
>*Akyo comes in my room while I'm tipping at the chapter. Sweetly she tries to make me use your amazing idea by making Zed punch Ryo in the face* .<br>*****dead panning* Xperya : Cute try. Go back to beeing lovey dovey with Zed and lemme finish the chapter.  
><strong>***Shrugging* Akyo : Atleast I tried.**

**Yordles are amazing, Lulu was a friend's idea, and yes I have also that many weaknesses. I have plans for Nocturne as well, glad you smelled that irony there XD. Hope your client is working now tho :D.**

**Bathamel: This is a chapter of transition as well, I promise things will start to be interesting in the following ones. Dun worry about the SnK references you also get a hug. The first intro is holy, never before have I been so wrapped about an intro of an anime before. AND THAT MANGA JUST KILLS ME. Have you read the last freacking number? Cuz I did. And my brain stopped functioning for TWO DAYS.**

**peachycupcake: Yesh, you get a hug *hugs* . I adore SnK. I simply adored it. And I almost made you cry huh? *evil grin* . Good to know.**

**canthandlemyswag: You're easily becoming one of my favorite reviewers by every chapter. And yes, not even SeXpeke can reach the awesomeness of Akyo's turnaround #comeback. I really liked your idea, so I used it here, thanks for helping me out :D. Of course, there will be more of Kinkou.**

**P.S : I found out later what PL meant. But please PhamtomL0rd is amazing, that Edward plz.**

**#1Coski: C-Calm down woman. Shh, everything will be fine. I'm sorry I killed you, but I PROMISE ON MY CHEMISTRY GRADE I'll update next week. Btw, I adore Kill la Kill ( those life fiber syncronisations THO ) . This chapter is kinda short but meh. And yes, I've read the FREACKING MANGA, I'm at day with it. Last chapter blew my mind. L-Levi *cries***

**#2Coski: Ohhhh yes, Zed will be getting some *wink wink, sugestive face* . You don't even know, how hard I'm practising that kind of writting right now XD.**

**Spazway2: Woman, just tell me the name and I'm reading it. I'm dying to see your writting , wether it's with OCs or not. And plz, plz, plz, plz lemme see pics. Me eyes must see :(.**

**#2: I'm lazy, dun kill me.**

**#3: And pls don't be depressed ;_; .**

**Nadral: I'm so honored, I'm blushing like a school girl. Yes, my chapters are filled with grammar mistakes because yes XD. I'm glad I'm getting points in the character development department, also those AN there are mostly to make you guys smile :D. Thansk for all the encouragement and I promise I will. PS : RITO NERF KEYBOARD PLS XD.**

**Infectedotter43: Well, not quite sure if you're still a reader or not ( I hope you are ), but thanks to your 'blunt' way of expressing the matter, I was actually able to fill some plotholes so thankies :D . I do hope I'll get to see more of your opinions on the following chapters.**

**Artenyx: Oh stop it you *blushes Flapjack style* . Sorry for the cliff hangers, but they are what keep the reader entertained right? ISAYAMA had proved it ONCE more in the last SNK manga. ( sorry, but the last chapter simply blew my mind and I'm frustrated as hell ).**

**Sabrine321: Sheesh, don't cry you guys XD! Hmm, I think I will explain later why Noc knew so much abou Akyo, since it's connected with my theory behind Noc and Zed ;).**

**Guest: I'm still writting this, don't worry. And I'm glad it does, altho for me it still seems the same XD.**

**WasAnonymous: Sorry to have you waiting, here's the next chapter. I'm fine, just school beeing a bitch .**

**A. Samawalker: Well, I did reply to your review so ehrm, ther ain't much I can say here.**

**Did I mention I'm writting a series of one shots where you guys can LEAVE REQUESTS? :D**

**K, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep /shots**

**^~(*v*)~^ - bye :3**


	11. Chapter 11: Starting Over

There is Light in Darkness Chapter 10

Akyo stared dumbly at the object in her hands. Her eyes were glued to the fabric of the cloth, her face unreadable. A very uneasy Kaleyn was in front of her, cold sweat upon her eyebrows. The girls simply sat in a very awkward silence, Akyo still trying to come back from the shock and Kaleyn praying she won't have her head severed.

''You've got to be kidding me.'' Akyo said finally, her eyes still upon the red fabric in her hands. The summoner girl's uneasy smile only grew wider; her frenetic prays continuing in her head. She had to go trough the same thing over the years with Akali, and she didn't used her kamas to kill her - not more than three times that is - and since she knew Akyo really didn't enjoyed violence at all, she hoped she would live another day to see the next Snow Down.

''Umm...'' the young summoner girl began, her tone betraying her inner conflict. Akyo's icy eyes met with hers, and from that moment on, she felt frozen in place. She really couldn't say whether she was pissed, confused, or anything else.

''There are no way in heavens I'm wearing this thing.'' Akyo continued, gesturing with one hand towards the soft piece of fabric in her hands.

It was a dress, a very revealing one for that fact. Neck-long and without sleeves, showing a large portion of her back and half thigh long, the dress was bound to attract many, many eyes. The silky fabric was soft to the touch and shone slightly in the light, with white puffy lace on the edges of the skirt. Of course, it wasn't the complete set. The summoner girl offered also her red stockings made of the same material with the same white lace on their edges, a pair of red gloves and black stiletto heels along with a Snow Down hat.

That outfit was enough to make Akyo pale slightly. She was never one to dress in revealing clothes. In her opinion, the more covered the better. More over, both as a ninja and as a Shadow Born, her clothes had to offer her mobility and comfort, that's why she felt very comfortable under her cloak. She simple didn't felt like showing her body as it was to the entire world. But all the blood returned to her face in the full force of a blush when she thought just how all the males will eye her if she were to wear that thing.

''I-I wish I could help you with that...'' the summoner girl continued, her tone as uncomfortable as her aura. She tried to keep a calm attitude towards the ninja in front of her, but there were moments like these when she remembered just how scary the rumors and tales told Shadow Borns are.

''There is no need for a thing such as 'help'. I'm not wearing this, not even if it would stop political conflicts between Noxus and Demacia.'' Akyo said, shoving the red dress in the girl's hands.

''Well, you don't have much of a choice actually.'' the girl began, an apologetic look on her face. ''But this is something Vessaria asks of you. You see, Kinkou had volunteered every year to do this. It's something we do every year, we offer vendors and civilians access on the field, and it's something that keeps people entertained. I guess you could call the Summoner's Rift a big market place, since even civilians will be able to come.'' the explanation didn't eased the dark look in Akyo's eyes, her gaze regarding coldly the piece of red material.

''And why isn't Akali the one wearing that 'as always'?'' she questioned and Kaleyn sighed in frustration.

''Vessaria had another task for her and the other three. Trust me, you'll thank me later for making you actually wear this.'' with that, she shoved the dress back into Akyo's hands the ninja glaring at the material.

''Look,'' Kaleyn began, sighing in exhaustion. ''You just have to keep people entertained, ya know? It's nothing too extravagant. While your friends are taking care of the job Kolminye gave them, you'll be working close by too, so there's no need to worry.'' she turned the blue eyed girl by her shoulders, and started pushing her towards her apartment.

''How it comes I got dragged into this?'' Akyo mumbled while she continued to move towards the door of her chambers. After the summoner stopped pushing her, she threw her an annoyed glare before opening it.

The girl shot her a smile and a small wave before the door closed, letting Akyo alone with her thoughts.

The apartment was quiet as she walked into the living. She observed a very familiar figure on the couch, his eyes closed and his arms crossed.

''So let me guess. No success?'' the man asked and Akyo rolled her eyes.

''No, I'll have to wear this thing tonight, there's no escaping. Let's see the bright side, Summoner's Rift is covered in snow and it's freezing.'' she finished, sarcasm dripping from her last sentence. The man opened his eyes to reveal a pair of very amused two blue orbs, as he took all the amusement he could in the girl's current predicament.

''I still don't see why you're making such a fuss about it.'' he continued and the woman shot him a glare.

''As if you would. I bet you're more than willing to see me wear this 'thing'.'' she said, a disgusted tone at the last word. The man smirked at her.

''Well, aren't you a mind reader?'' he questioned, as he closed his eyes again, an amused smirk on his face. Akyo blushed and burned holes in his head, while she went towards her bedroom to change.

While he had been kind of pushing her buttons in the past three days, Ryo had proved himself a very likeable presence. Pushing aside his rather unorthodox comments - and very 'interesting' if she might add personality -, he had been reliable, and a very good listener for her. She couldn't deny that his Casanova like attitude bothered her a little, but still made a spark or two come alive in her heart. Yet, she tried to maintain a distance between them. They barely knew each other - although she felt he was familiar to her - and this fragile camaraderie they formed was something Akyo wished to keep.

There were moments when he was serious, and she liked that side of his. For example, whenever she would have a hard time to explain rather dark stories from her troublesome past, his serious face and calming eyes managed to make the words come out a lot easier.

Once she reached her room, she opened it and closed it. Eyeing the door with a raised eyebrow, she actually locked it, as a very pissed face made it known on her features. He 'miss stepped' once, and they both agreed to catalog it as an accident. However, she was pretty sure the accident might repeat itself again, and she really didn't want to ruin his face, so it was better to avoid it.

As Akyo slowly started removing her clothes, she couldn't help but reflect on what happened in the past three days. She really couldn't say, her life never had been more dynamic up until Ryo arrived at the Institute.

~Three Days Earlier~

Once they entered her apartment, Akyo took the lead and brought Ryo into the main room. She turned back to look at him. Taking her mask off so he could see her face, she let the corners of her mouth curve up in a small smile while she spoke.

''Every champion here had his own chambers to stay, so we'll be sharing mine. Here's the main room, the hallway on the left leads to the bathroom and my bedroom and the hallway on the right to the kitchen...'' she pointed each direction but stopped and slowly moved a few steps while her eyes were glued onto the hallway on the right. ''...And another room I haven't seen up until this point?''

She started walking towards the respective door and put one hand of the knob and opened it. It was almost the same with her bedroom, only the walls were painted in a soft green. She rose and eyebrow at this, her expression questioning the existence of this very place.

'Well played Kaleyn...' she thought, as a small twitch of her eyebrow went by. With a dramatic inward sigh, she turned to look at Ryo's confused face and sent him an apologetic look.

''Sorry for my rudeness, but it seems the summoner girl you've met before has already taken care of your place to stay.'' she motioned with one hand to the room and realization dawned upon Ryo.

''Well, they are pretty fast if I might add...'' he noted and Akyo hid a cruel smirk.

'You have no idea...' she thought before she closed the door to Ryo's room and went back in the main room. She motioned for him to take a seat, and so he did, slowly taking in his surroundings. Akyo had removed her cloak as well by now as she put it on the nearest hanger before rejoining Ryo in the main room. He had seated himself on the couch, and Akyo sat opposite from him in one of the room's armchairs.

''If you'd like, tomorrow I can show you the way around the Institute. I still have some troubles here and there, but most of the place won't represent a problem...'' she trailed off, an awkward silence making itself known. Akyo gulped and avoided to look at Ryo, cursing her inability to socialize with people.

''As you may see, I'm not extremely sociable, so excuse me for that.'' she laughed a little while she said that and saw Ryo had removed his own mask, revealing his features and make Akyo freeze slightly. If she thought he was charming before, right now she hoped she was dreaming. Slightly shaking her head, she refocused on the present.

''You don't have to apologize, I know how it is.'' he explained, a small smile present on his face. Akyo thought her heart skipped a beat. This isn't good. ''I'm pretty bad at speaking with people myself, so I guess we have a thing or two in common.''

''Well, it makes sense why Master Reiko would pick you as some sort of personal messenger. He knows you won't be wasting time around and say nonsense. I know how you feel.'' Akyo said, returning the slight smile. ''I've been meaning to ask, how has The Order been these days? It's been sometime since I last time saw it, and I'm curious about the current situation.'' she asked and saw Ryo tense slightly, but relaxing immediately after.

''Well, things have been remotely fine, aside the usual exchanges with the opposite order.'' Ryo said a dark look on his face at the end of the sentence. Akyo sighed, and looked side ways. Until one of these orders was gone, there was no balance or no peace.

''There are a lot of new recruits as well. It seems many want to follow the path of balance, and so, many including I have sought the order to learn it's ways and protect the equilibrium off this world.'' Akyo's face became slightly solemn at this; she hasn't been expecting that answer. However, she let a sincere smile cover her face.

''That's truly an honorable reason to look up to. And it's a hard task and responsibility you have taken on your shoulders, but this only proves the courage you have to take such a path on your own accord. I'll be honest with you, I'm impressed.'' she finished, but he let a small smirk cover his features.

''At least I had a choice. I could have done anything else, rather than pick this path, but this wasn't the same for you, wasn't it?'' he asked, and she looked like she wanted to say something, before she closed her mouth and kept silent.

''Well, I can't say I'm complaining...'' she trailed, although her voice was way too straight to look unaffected. Ryo was intrigues by this, as he thought of a question to ask. Before he could think any further, she talked again.

''It's true, up until this point; I didn't had the happiest of lives. I bet there are plenty of other comrades of mine who share my age and surely had a much happier living. But, it hasn't been deplorable either.'' she paused, as the faces of her friends flashed in her mind. ''Thanks to the Order, I was able to find life-long comrades I deeply trust, and friends that had helped me and been next to me in my darkest times...'' she trailed off, as she remembered the gloomy days of her past.

Ryo smiled. ''That was something bound to happen, considering who you are. But I have to ask you. If you could have the power to alter your destiny, if you could go back in time and choose a totally different life from the one you lived, you would do so?'' he questioned, as Akyo paused in her thinking for a while.

'To change the past?' she thought, before his question elaborated in her head. She could've picked a different life, a life where Zayenn and she wouldn't have gone trough such a fatal conflict. A life where her mother would still be alive and she would love both her and her sister. A life where she gets to knew her father and the four of them would be a simple happy family, because that's everything she ever wanted. To live happily, together with the ones she cares about.

That thought warmed her heart. 'A life without all those argues conflicts. A life without senseless competitions and ridiculous trials. A life without...

She paused, as realization dawned onto her.

... A life without Zed.'

Now how that would work out, really? Would she give up her perfect and happy family for him? Would she give up on her wish to have her sister accept her, and love her, for him? Would she give up her mother's life and her father's identity for him? Would she really, give up on the delusional fantasy that stayed within her heart, keeping it together, just for him?

'Would I really?'

The silence stretched on the two ninjas, as Akyo feel in deep thought. Ryo looked intrigued at her, slightly arching his eyebrow at her prolonged silence. Then again, he observed her saddened features, and panicked thought he might have asked the wrong question, venturing into forbidden territory.

Before he could say out his thoughts, and apologize for his rude question, he observed how her features softened again, and the slightest of smiles would be present on her face. He wondered what conclusion could she have possibly come to, as to make her jump from one extreme to the other.

''No.'' was her definite, final answer. ''I would never change the past and alter the future. Even if the life I've lived up until now is a far cry from what I dream of, I would never change it.'' she told him, and curiosity sparked in him again.

''Why?'' he simply questioned, and she smiled. A pure genuine smile, which contrasted with her sad look.

''Because if I were to live my dream life, I would have never met the man I love the most.''

~(o-o)~

As the sun went down, and lights came to life, Akyo proposed the idea of making dinner. While she didn't exactly excel at cooking, she had been taking lessons from different personalities, Kaleyn and her summoner friends included.

And since she lived alone, and she could definitely live WITHOUT the rather 'interesting' food in the cafeteria (to be honest, the cafeteria was only used to pick drinks and chat during breaks) and she has been improving at cooking.

And while she went on by her own business, Ryo was still sitting on her couch, deep in thought. The conversation they had was really interesting, and it made him think.

'Who could this man possibly be? It's somebody from the Order, definitely, but who could it be, that she still loves him for all these years?' he questioned, as he slowly made a list in his mind.

As minutes went by, his list was shrinking and shrinking, as he was narrowing down people who could fit into Akyo's extremely vague description of her love.

And thus, after going trough tens of options, he narrowed them down to two by logic: the ex's Order's Master's son Shen, and the fugitive and traitor of the Order Zed.

And he started with Shen. He thought about him, a champion, an important personality in the order itself, and leader of the Triumvirate of Balance. A cool headed man, with an unfaultable judgment, unaffected by emotions. He was good at making logical decisions; he was trained to do so. And even considering his habit of always keeping his face covered, he was still well built and most likely had a likeable personality.

It surely made sense, but something didn't really add up.

He has seen Akyo interact with the Triumvirate earlier the day, before reaching Kolminye's office. And while Shen and Akyo didn't look to have a particularly cold bond, it surely didn't share the qualities of a bond between lovers, assuming she had told him how she felt. But even if she didn't; either she was a way too good actress, either she didn't felt that kind of love for him, really.

'But...' he thought, as he frowned, the next option not pleasing him at all.

Before he could continue his current brainstorm, Akyo popped into the hallway and woke him up.

''Dinner's ready.'' she told him, letting a small smile on her face appear. He looked at her for a while, before he nodded and started following her towards the kitchen. He couldn't deny the smell he felt go trough his nostrils felt heavenly.

He saw there were two plates for each person on the table. As he sat down he observed the food Akyo cooked for them. There was this piece of roasted meat that gave off an angelic smell, its color brining pleasure to his eyes. Next to it, there was boiled rice and steamed vegetables, completing the scent of the meat with their own, everything mixing into a hallucinating mix of smells.

Akyo observed how he eyed the food and chuckled. ''So let me guess they still have yet to find proper chiefs at the Order yet, am I right?'' she joked, her tone amused.

Ryo nodded in disappointment. ''This doesn't even compare to the "food" they serve at the order. Sometimes I even wonder if what they serve is food indeed.'' Akyo let out a small laugh at this, remembering just how bad the food was back at the Order.

That's why her mother used to cook for her and Zayenn. She could say she took a little after her, since she was always next to her when she was cooking, unlike Zayenn who was training. At that point, Akyo had given up on the idea of becoming the next Shadow Born, and thought about at least becoming a ninja chief (I took this idea from Naruto, I loled my head off at that episode though xD). But when her mother questioned about her newfound interested and she told her the plans she had, Keyan basically burst into frustration.

IT was then when she forced the two siblings to train together, even supervising many of those early ones. But Akyo wondered if she really believed into her at that point, or she was just simply making Zayenn stronger, giving her a target that actually moved rather than a dummy.

She had already started eating, as her mind wandered off. She chewed slowly, as she was too busy letting herself get dragged into the mist of her internal world, just mechanically eating her food.

But it seemed Ryo genuinely enjoyed her cooking, as he savored every bit he had on his plate. He wouldn't mind sitting a few days at the Institute if he got to eat something like this everyday.

''I must admit it, Lady Akyo. You surely have many talents, cooking included.'' he said, as he woke her up from her thinking.

She felt flattered about his compliment. ''When the food here is as bad as its back at the Order, you just adapt to surviving. I'm still a little shaky, but it's eligible in the least.'' she took another bite.

She let a small pause stretch, while she was figuring out some more thoughts, before she spoke to Ryo once more.

''Since my schedule is free of charge this week, or at least until Snow Down, I could show you around the Institute for a bit, since you're stuck here. Are you up for visiting the building and climb at least ten rows of stairs, each having ten thousand steps?'' she asked, hiding a cruel smirk.

She failed however, when she observed how his face paled and he looked as white as the plate he was eating from. However, he gathered his courage and formed his resolve, as he spoke determined to her.

''I shall not let myself be defeated by stairs.'' he said simply and she let another chuckle.

The dinner went off normally, as they had conversations combined with small pauses of silence. Even if Ryo volunteered to wash the dishes, she promptly told him that he's her guest, and she will wash them. While he was preparing to argue with that one, she told him to shush it before she turns it into an order.

Later, Akyo tiredly dropped onto her bed, a little exhausted from all the wandering she did during the day. Going underneath the blankets, she closed her eyes and thought about the events surrounding the day. After a small sigh, she closed her eyes and let the soft winds outside, lull her to sleep.

~(o-o)~

The following day went as normal as it could. Akyo prepared breakfast, Ryo had to compliment her cooking again and she thanked him. Just about as they were getting ready to leave for that promised tour of the Institute, there was a knock on Akyo's door.

Intrigued, she walked to it and opened it, revealing the ever so present, brown-haired and chocolate-eyed summoner girl. Giving a smile and waving at her, Akyo raised an eyebrow at the girl's contagious happiness.

''Morning Summoner.'' she greeted simply and politely. Kaleyn's smile widened even in the slightest.

''Greetings Akyo, as sad as I am to come all the way here and disturb your morning, I have to make an announcement to you.'' she said, before she sheepishly continued ''May I come in?''

Moving to the side, so the girl could come in, Akyo closed the door and followed her in the main room. Ryo was standing on the left doorway looking confused and surprised at the apparition of the girl.

''First things first, I hope you two are alright with sharing one apartment. Things have just gotten extremely crazy, as they usually do this time of the year, and I just had to improvise.'' she said, flashing an apologetic smile to the both ninjas. Akyo shook her head in amusement.

''However,'' she began, turning to Akyo. ''I'm here to do more than just check on you two. I know I've said that you are free of champion duties this little time that it's before Snow Down, but there is a problem and I can't help but drag you into it.''

Akyo arched an eyebrow at the girl's statement, already regretting checking the door.

''Great political personalities wish to view a match. I do know they have found the worst time ever to do so, but we need to always show our openness towards the public and we do have a reputation to maintain.'' she took a small pause before continuing. ''There are many champions that usually go visit around their city states during this time of the year, and just as many return for the Snow Down party, but there's a minority who just waits around for the new season. This is just going to be a cordial match between a group of summoners who also haven't gone home during the holidays, including me.''

Akyo could feel the bitterness in her tone, but she let her continue.

''We have handpicked our champions already, as preparations are still made. It seems snow has yet to make itself shown, which makes things complicated, but not a major problem that is. I came all the way here to tell you this because I have picked you as my champion Akyo.'' the girl finally said and Akyo sighed.

''Expected just as much, but it's not the end of the world. It's always good to keep yourself in shape. When does the match begin?'' she questioned and observed how Kaleyn's features were flooded with relief.

''It's going to happen soon, the rift, summoning chambers and so forth are being prepared as we speak. I, once again apologize that I had to ruin your free time, but there are sacrifices that must be made for the League. By both summoners and champions.''

Before Akyo could speak, Ryo decided to join the discussion as well.

''I do not intent to pry into The Shadow Born's personal affairs with the League, but will be the match be open to public spectating?'' he questioned and the summoner girl offered him a simple smile.

''Actually, it will. The Institute itself isn't deserted all the way here. We actually have a very fast growing soon-to-be city, even though it's mostly made out of gift shops. The match is made to be broadcasted for all the ones who are near the League to see, and we will also open the Snow Down season with it.'' she paused before letting a mysterious smile spread across her features. ''With this match, we will also introduce some new ''skins'' for certain champions.'' she explained and Akyo arched an eyebrow. She didn't like this.

Giving a small clap, the summoner girl smiled as brightly as ever. ''You shall be noted when to present yourself to the summoning chambers, Lady Akyo. As for your friend I will make sure he will get one of the best places to spectate the match as well. I shall take my leave now.'' she finished, helping herself out of the apartment. While Akyo gave a tired sigh, Ryo questioned her.

''What are these ''skins'' she was talking about?'' Akyo sweat dropped.

''Champions don't always have the same appearance on the fields. Summoners have came with this ingenious idea of creating different appearances for their Champions, let it be connected with a special event, or just something that connects with the Champion itself.'' she paused, as her stare hardened. ''I also have a 'skin' as they call it, and I'm glad I only have one. Many of the other champion's haven't been so 'lucky' with their 'skins'.'' she said simply as Ryo's curiosity continued to grow. He asked her how this 'skin' changed her appearance.

Akyo tensed for a moment, before slightly relaxing. She told him how Shadow Borns dressed entirely different when they formed a tribe, and how the summoner girl made research and came with the concept of the 'skin' herself. Instead of the usual attire she wore, there was a neck long, black shirt connected with a pair of long, molded black pants. At the waist, it wasn't her usual brown leather belt she wore, but a different one. It was a dark shade of crimson, the usual stylized 'S' carved in black ink in the middle. She had fingerless gloves that went just about near her armpits. Her usual cloak was replaced by a cape with golden epaulettes that had a small braided soft rope coming from one side to the other. Around her neck, a black fluffy scarf was supposed to cover about half her mouth. Connected to her cape, there was the usual hood, but it was held in front of the body, near the scarf by a shinning, smooth crimson gem. Her mask, that was usually simple, had two parallel white lines on each side of her face.

What really amazed her at this new appearance, were the tattoos that covered all of her left arm, together with a little bit of her right side. Considering the wind she felt tickling at her back, she came with the assumption that her shirt exposed her back, but it was covered by the cape. When she questioned the summoner girl about the strange 'flame-like' tattoos she found on her left arm, Kaleyn replied that they pointed from where the main source of power of the Shadow Born was coming from. She noted with a smile, that they started from her back, from where her heart should be.

While she sat down and explained all this to Ryo, there was a small notification that appeared near her. A white pergament with cursive black ink, covered in a blue-ish aura showed it to her, as it floated idly next to her form. It read clearly for her to present herself in front of the summoning chambers as the match was about to begin in a half an hour. With this, she sighed and rose from her previous spot on the couch. Ryo soon joined her, as she dressed her cloak and she grabbed her staff.

Swiftly exiting her apartment, she went straight towards the summoning chambers, followed by Ryo just by.

There was slight chaos outside the summoning chambers. Summoners talked with one another, with their champions and they generally discussed the following battle. Some were even running around, making sure details were put into place. Akyo even caught sight of Summoner Vessaria, before she disappeared behind a door with a few unknown figures.

She also saw Kaleyn chatting away with Angela, a look of anxiety written on her face. The red haired girl tried to calm her friend, as she wore an encouraging smile. Kaleyn sighed, before she observed Akyo approaching them. She observed how her anxiety melted a little more.

''Summoner Kaleyn, Summoner Angela.'' Akyo greeted politely, receiving curt nods from each one of them.

''I'm glad you made it this early. Things are a little... complicated, but they will be sorted out before the match starts.'' Kaleyn said, her eyes wondering around the runic room that had the summoning chambers.

''Come on book worm,'' Angela began ''calm down. Things are going to end smoothly. I know you're anxious about the skins, but everything will be fine.'' she told the girl once more, before she cast a glance at the person behind Akyo. She looked at him with an arched eyebrow. ''Who the heck is this guy?''

Before either Kaleyn or Ryo could talk, Akyo opened her mouth. ''His name is Ryo; he's a fellow comrade from the Kinkou. I think he wanted to spectate the match.'' she swiftly explained.

''Angela, go show him where the Triumvirate is.'' Kaleyn asked as the girl nodded determinedly. Motioning with her hand towards Ryo, she started moving towards a room, as he started following her. Before he left however, he stopped and cast a glance over his shoulder at Akyo, giving her a reassuring look.

She smiled.

''Alright,'' Kaleyn began. ''This is going to be a normal battle between ten champions on the Rift. I have opted for you to go on the top lane this time, instead of the middle one. Your opponent will be The Hemomancer, Vladimir. We should fend him off easily. As for your teammates, we will be working together with Lulu, The Fae Sorceress; Ashe, The Frosted Archer; Master Yi, the Wuju Bladesman in the jungle and...'' she counted all of the champions on her fingers, before trailing off and having slight fear wash over her face, her eyes widening. Akyo looked confusedly at the summoner.

''And...?'' she questioned, before she recognized another voice of a summoner friend of Kaleyn, say some words that simply took her off guard.

''Master of Shadows, glad you made it in time.'' the masculine voice said, as Akyo turned around and saw nobody other than Zed approaching silently, the huge figure of Gabriel's body. He gave the summoner his usual glare.

''Summoner.'' he said nothing else, as Akyo's eyes widened. She felt her heart jump into her throat, and fear running trough her veins. She still hasn't talking with him about that entire 'slap' thing, so things were still pretty awkward.

Well, this match had already a great start.

It wasn't long before he felt somebody's gaze on his form and looked around to meet her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat, as she caught the slightest of surprises written over his face, before it disappeared.

Akyo turned around and looked at the summoner girl. She couldn't bear to watch him in the eyes yet. She still felt confused about what were her current feelings toward him.

''Summoners!'' a voice suddenly called, getting everybody's attention. There was an elder summoner, the one who spoke ''the match is about to begin. Champions shall take their place in the summoning chambers accordingly, as well as the summoners to take their places inside their designed ones. Let this be a just and simple match, an opener for the Snow Down season.'' he finished, as he disappeared behind closed doors.

Kaleyn gave Akyo one last determined look, before she put her hood on her head and started joining her teammates. Akyo on her part joined her own four allies, as they entered trough a heavily runic door. She felt that magical buzz that always floated in the air, as she took her place inside the summoning rings. As soon as she stepped on them, the rings started flowing with magic, lighting up the entire room in ethereal glows. The power and quantity of magic that flowed trough the rings created a current of wind around her, as it softly rattled her hair and cloak. She sighed and closed her eyes, as she felt the teleportation motion starting up.

However, before she let herself be completely swallowed by magic, she opened her right eye to steal a last glance at Zed. To her utmost surprise she caught him staring at her.

And after that, there was the horrible feelings of suddenly being pulled by an invisible force and brutally have her breath ripped from her chest. Darkness covered her eye lids, and she felt her lungs scream for oxygen. When the demand was so desperate, she almost started panicking, the world around her moved again.

The same buzz that was in the summoning chambers was present, but this time it was a lot louder. Opening her eyes, she observed the ever present blue base, as the most important magical structure, the nexus, glowed off a priceless shade of blue. It's deep and pure color of oceanic texture was complimented by a structure of white, standing idly atop the crystal-

What.

As she observed it closely, that white structure was nothing else than snow, covering everything across the rift in its endless purity. Shaking her head off, letting distractions aside, she started looking trough the shop, as she heard her Summoner's voice ring in her head.

'Alright,' she began, as she fell deep in thought. 'We should start off as usual, since this match up doesn't really show up any serious problems. However,' she began, and Akyo swore she heard the devilish laugh in her mind. 'Remember when I talked you about the new skins? Yeah, you better look around.' she said simply.

Akyo turned around and the first thing that hit her was The Fae Sorceress. Instead of her usual purple and yellow attire, she donned beautiful winter clothes, all furred with precious dark blue gems covering them. Her hair was a crystalline deep blue, the same colors as her eyes, and her usual fairy was-

Akyo chuckled. Kaleyn laughed. 'You took it too far.' Akyo commented.

The fairy was replaced by an angel winged mini poro.

Lulu was ecstatic with her new appearance, as she twirled and laughed and danced around. Ashe looked at her fondly, a slight chuckle escaping her lips. Master Yi gave off an amused shook of his head. Zed just arched an eyebrow while eyeing the flying poro cautiously.

''Look Pix!'' Lulu suddenly said, pointing a finger at Akyo. ''We're not the only ones ready for winter!'' And then all the eyes turned to look at her.

Akyo looked around confusedly, before she looked down and her eyes widened.

All the black she previously wore was replaced by a deep red material. At the very ends of every piece of fabric, white, puffy lace covered them. Around her neck, there was a scarf crafted from the same materials. Keeping her cloak together, instead of her usual pin consisting of the emblem of the Kinkou there was mistletoe. Her usual simple boots, were replaced by some black leather ones with small heels, looking like they belonged to an elf. Her usual pants were replaced by a pair of stockings, with a red and white model. Her top consisted of a red dress (a little shorter dress than she liked) that tightly hugged her form and only had a black leather belt holding it around her middle. A sudden thought striked her, as she grabbed her staff from its holster and find-

Yep. She gave a blank stare at the 'weapon'.

It was made out of candy.

She heard Kaleyn laugh her head off inside her head, as she tried not to seriously throw a hissy fit. Before her anger could get the better of her, she looked around and met Zed eyes, and her anger melted into embarrassment. She observed how wide and round they were, absolute shock and surprise written all over his features. When she came to think about it, Akyo thought she was Mrs. Claus brining Snow Down for the male population.

As a fierce blush covered her face, she suddenly grabbed the ends of her skirt and tried to cover a lot of the exposed skin of her bare legs. Kaleyn continued her laugh in the background, making Akyo growl inside her mind.

'NOW you've taken it TOO FAR.' she told the summoner girl who gave a loud laugh before trying to control herself.

'Angela and Gabriel helped. Stephen said he wanted to live a few more days. We came with the design and gave it to Miss Vessaria for beta testing. She immediately approved of it!' she continued between giggles. Akyo grumbled under her breath before she took a second good look at Zed.

Her face changed colors, from red to normal and she seriously tried to suppress a chuckle. While she was busy arguing with Kaleyn in her head, Zed had observed Master Yi trying to contain his laughter and he arched an eyebrow. When he questioned the Bladesman what was so funny, he pointed politely at his costume.

Well goddamn it all. (  art/Santa-Zed-skin-idea-419453779 huehuehuehuehue )

The first things he observed were his precious blades, as they were turned into candy. While they held their original shape, they had the same appearance and consistency Akyo's own staff had, and when he looked at his shurikens he felt a vein pop in his neck. Around his waist there was a green material that was kept together by three small round gems, resembling a mistletoe belt. And, to top it all, he had a Snow Down hat on his head.

''Mother of-'' he grumbled as he observed all of his allies were bent over, trying to keep themselves from laughing.

Growling, he took his items from the shop and left for his lane, cursing under his breath all the way. These summoners were ridiculous, making him wear such a stupid outfit and such. What was in their minds, he wondered. But then, he remembered Akyo's costume and thought maybe they didn't have THAT bad ideas.

In the meantime, Akyo was still trying to get adjusted to her new outfit, pulling the hem of her skirt lower in an attempt to cover her bare legs. That didn't solved much, as the material started showing her front a lot more, so to spare her more embarrassment she just leaned on the turret and sighed.

Soon, she heard the fragile and small steps of the minions, as she returned to a normal standing position and followed them. They started fighting with one another, as she prepared herself to encounter Vlad. Her summoner had already told her how to deal with him, and she was ready.

Out of nowhere, however, a ball of blue essence flew towards her, grazing visible skin on her legs. Yelping, she jumped in order to avoid further damage and looked towards the river. Her eyes widened in horror as she observed her enemy, and she didn't miss the ridiculously high-pitched voice of her summoner.

'WHAT?!' she said, definitely scandalized by the newly appeared presence. Grumbling, Kaleyn changed connections from Akyo towards the enemy lanner.

'Eden! This isn't what we've settled!' she said, and she heard the disgusting smirk the said boy made.

'Sorry sweetie, but I never promised anything. After all, we're enemies.'

'You jerk! You're that desperate for wins?! This isn't even a match to settle down affairs!' she continued, enraged at the boy's outrageous decision.

'Never thought you to be a sore one Kaleyn. Your pride can't handle a blow?' he said and the summoner girl gasped at his insult, ready to actually stop the match and tear his heart out his chest. Before things got even more complicated, Angela piped in.

'What is it Eden? Is your mom going to beat that little ass of yours if you get shit kicked out of you by a girl?' she said, and the boy's growl resounded in both in Kaleyn's and Angela's heads. 'You shouldn't be that cocky after all. You heard the elder. 'Just and simple' as we discussed. Summoner Vessaria won't be too pleased with you when we finish.'

'Of course, because she can't see her little Kaleyn lose. Pathetic.' he barked back at Angela, as the redhead felt her cool melt away, replaced by an angered flare.

'Pathetic is your attempt at boosting your ego. You switched with Artemis; you are too much of a coward to go fight against Kaleyn with your original choice, since you knew you were going to lose.' Gabriel's deep voice piped in, silencing everybody. 'However, I'll make sure Zed will humiliate you as many times as possible, even if it result in losing the match. I prefer seeing you throw a hissy fit and a defeat in my glossary.'

At this, the summoner boy Eden cut off the communication with all three of them by force. Kaleyn shot her two friends thankful smiles from underneath her hood, before returning her attention to Akyo. While she held herself fine, she clearly had troubles fighting against one of the champions that was bound to make her problems.

Akyo jumped away again, avoiding another ball of blue energy being thrown in her face. She panted, trying to keep herself on the lane as long as possible. From behind the minion wave, her opponent gave a sweet laugh and threw her a taunting look.

''What is it Shadow Born? Rumors told me you were better than this.'' after this line, she threw her ball another time, Akyo barely dodging it.

''What's the beauty of the exterior when the interior is rotten Ahri?'' Akyo taunted back, receiving a hurt gasp from the nine tailed fox. In truth, she liked Ahri. While she was indeed as beautiful as rumors said, there was much more to her than simple appearances. Her quest of becoming a human, to understand them and to finally feel like one was admirable, even though it required a high price. She was good company, even though she always told Akyo to show a little more skin.

Glaring at her, Ahri threw a deadly kiss trough the minion wave, just as Akyo ran by. The spell hit her directly in the face, as her body started moving without her own accord towards Ahri. Cursing under her breath, her eyes were glued to Ahri's as she saw the fox prepare to throw her essence orb at her, but she stopped short as she suddenly noticed movement from the river.

The pause in concentration loosened the effect of the charming spell, enough for Akyo to turn her head around and free herself from Ahri's control completely. Then, she saw how Master Yi, moving a lot faster than usual, had started chasing the nimble champion. Following suit, moving fast trough shadows enough to catch up on her. Just as Master Yi Alpha-Striked and weakened Ahri, Akyo jumped out of the shadows, her staff glowing a dangerous crimson.

And soon, the glowing was joined by a flowing deep red liquid as the voice of the announcer boomed in the air.

**''FIRST BLOOD.''**

~(o-o)~

As the match progressed, Ahri made less and less appearances on the top lane. Kaleyn had warned her teammates about the missing fox, while she told Akyo to continue her pressure on the top of the map.

Ashe and Lulu had a shaky start; Lulu had died at Sivir's hands just right after the first blood has been split. However, Ashe had killed both Sivir and Sona later on all by herself with the help of the tower. Now, after botlane was two turrets ahead, most of the focus was on the dragon, jungle and middle lane.

Zed had little to none problems with Vlad, and while he had scored only one kill, and that was on Singed when he came to help Vladimir out, he managed to take the tower down. He had heard Akyo together with her summoner and some help from Master Yi had secured a win on the toplane, but the match wasn't won just yet.

As he cut trough the last minion, he was ready to turn around and kill some wraiths before going back to base and get some more items. Before he could do that however, he observed fast movement out of the corner of his eyes, and turned around to see Ahri Spirit-Rush towards him just in time. He was about to summon a shadow and escape her oncoming kiss of death, but she blinked the distance on them almost immediately before he could switch places. Her charm landed on him immediately, and he felt himself slip under her control.

Letting out a small puff of air, Ahri giggled.

''Hmm... What do we have here?'' she asked, as she approached the still Shadow Master, maintaining the spell on him as strong as she could.

Zed said nothing.

''Oh, quiet, are we?'' Ahri asked and gave a soft sigh when she received no response. She startled circling around the unmoving man, her slender hands on his shoulders, as her tails wrapped him up, following her in her path.

''I have always wondered what handsome face hides underneath that mask of yours. Not to mention that your armor covers so much of your body is a pain.'' she giggled seductively ''You two are so alike.''

This intrigued Zed. ''Who?'' he finally asked. Ahri gave him a charming smile.

''You and Akyo of course. Never showing your faces, always hiding yourselves under cloaks and uniform, its tiring.'' she then thought a little before continuing. ''Although she is very likeable company, it's beyond me why you two aren't talking a little bit more, leaving aside the fact that you belong to opposed factions.'' she said as Zed dead panned.

''I don't need your advice concerning people I 'should' be socializing with.'' he said simply and Ahri arched an eyebrow.

''Ohh, touchy. Did I step on a boundary?'' she asked, before resuming her charming smile. ''What could have possibly happened between two childhood friends for them to be in such a bitter relationship now?''

Zed's eyes widened. Ahri smirked.

''You'd think Akali doesn't speak that easily, no? Blame it on my irresistible charms.'' she joked. Zed kept a straight face. ''Well then?'' Ahri pressed on with her previous question.

''It's none of your concern.'' he said, already wondering where the hell were his allies.

''But it may be. Who knows, I might help you two out.'' Ahri continued, as Zed frowned.

''I don't need 'help'. I already know everything I need to.'' Zed said simple, as Ahri threw him a devilish smirk.

''Would you look at that,'' she began, putting her hands on his chest and leaning in. ''I'll tell you a small secret Zed. I know something concerning her that you might just not...'' she almost whispered, as Zed felt genuinely intrigues by this. Even if she was a charmer, her eyes were telling the truth. She knew something.

But before their conversation could be continued, a sharp snap was heard as Ahri suddenly backed away from Zed, obviously anxious. As her control over her charming spell failed, Zed managed to move to the side, as a blurry figure dashed past him towards Ahri.

In a panic, the fox tried to Spirit-Rush away but to no avail. When a force brutally pushed her from behind, she fell on the ground with a groan of pain. Opening her eyes to look at her attacker, she only managed to catch a glimpse of a red skirt with white, puffy lace before there was sudden pain in her back and she blacked out.

Akyo calmly recovered her staff from Ahri, a slight look of surprise on her face. It disappeared immediately, as she observed Zed standing not too far away, observing her. She couldn't tell much, but as his eyes were simply set on her figure, he was most likely thinking.

''Sorry for that,'' she breathed out, trying to regulate her breath. ''Ambush at Dragon, it resulted in a longer team fight that expected. We took the loot though.'' she noted briefly, as Zed woke up from his previous thoughts. He sighed.

''At least there was something useful coming out of Ahri wasting my time.'' he said, dusting off invisible dirt from his clothes. Akyo frowned.

''What happened exactly? Kaleyn told me a few minutes ago Ahri had caught you off-guard. She could've killed you, but she didn't.'' she noted, as Zed took a small pause to think.

_'I know something concerning her that you might just not...'_

'What could it be?' he questioned himself, as Akyo approached him. Deciding to not open the subject, he did what he excelled at. He lied.

''She started talking about non-sense. I thought you might know, since you should have at least hanged around her.''

At this, an inexplicable trail of pink covered Akyo's cheeks as her eyes slightly rounded in shape. Zed arched an eyebrow at her, wondering what could have suddenly set her off. Shaking her head, Akyo took her previous unfazed look on her face again, and tried to even out her voice.

''You have no idea.'' she said simply, turning towards the newly approaching enemy minion wave. Taking this as an opportunity, Zed felt the blue rings around his appear, as the teleportation spell to base was casting.

In the mean time, Akyo was reminiscing memories.

During her first weeks around the Institute, Kaleyn had been nice enough to her the Ionian champions around. She was proud to meet Irelia and Karma, two representatives of Ionia that had names of legends back in the city state. The famous Star-Child had also been a very pleasurable meeting. Her calm demeanor, with her kind voice and soothing aura surely made Akyo feel she could heal the deepest of wounds with just her gentle gaze.

While meeting Master Yi's disciple had surely resulted in slight havoc (there was pie involved, and Akyo hated pie. Especially when it was sent at her face) they surely were getting along after. With his slightly silly and goofy behavior, Wukong reminded her of Kennen, but he also had a very mature side Kennen was still slightly struggling to posses.

And then she met her. The charmer. The Legendary ghostly beauty of the Ionian forests, Ahri.

Of course she had her reservations at first, but Ahri proved herself competent company. She was smarter than one would believe, and the rumors that went around were superficial. It was clear that people that spread them around have yet to meet her and know her in detail. Akyo was almost considering Ahri a future close friend.

Almost.

''So what's this rumor I hear about you and the Shadow Master, hmm?'' she asked one day, and caught Akyo completely off-guard. She choked on the water she was drinking.

''Wh-H-EH?'' she finally managed between coughs as Ahri threw her an arched eyebrow. She frowned. ''What do you mean?'' she asked, more composed this time.

Ahri rolled her eyes. ''There's a rumor going around about you and Zed. When he joined the League, these rumors previously revolved around Akali, until you piped in. I heard you two were lovers, is that correct?'' she questioned innocently, as Akyo face palmed in order to hide her blush.

''N-NO.'' she said loudly, her mouth slightly covered by her hand. ''We- I- He-'' she took a deep breath.

Goddamn it.

Since when had she become so darn easily to distract?

...

Oh right, she's always been that way.

''We aren't and never were lovers. The closest thing you'll get near that is friendship.'' she said simply, as Ahri looked intrigued at her companion.

''So you were friends, then?'' she asked. Akyo nodded. Ahri gave a thoughtful 'hmm'.

''Why does it matter anyway?'' Akyo questioned, slightly irritated. ''What if we've been friends before?''

''Well,'' Ahri began, ''If there's one thing I know about friends is that you need something strongly negative to pull them apart and have bitter anger between them.'' She observed how Akyo's face hardened, a sorry attempt at hiding her true emotions. Ahri kept her gaze on the girl as she continued. ''Since the rumors say you two have been lovers, yet you say you've been friends, then we can conclude you were really good friends, right?''

Akyo let a slow nod.

''Then what happened?'' she questioned again as Akyo let out a frustrated sigh.

''I'm not getting out of this, am I?'' she questioned, as Ahri threw her a devilish grin.

''Tell me on your own, before I force you with magic.'' she said simply and Akyo heaved a sigh again.

''You probably heard, The Kinkou Order fell a few years ago.'' Ahri nodded. ''When we were attacked, we tried defending ourselves as much as possible, while trying to escape as many as possible. I'm not part of the Triumvirate, but I am the last recognized Shadow born, a race that had died long ago. While I might not have a direct responsibility towards the balance, I have sworn by my blood to protect it.'' she took a small pause, glancing at Ahri before continuing. ''That day, while I was aiding my comrades to retreat, an old enemy came and challenged me to a fight.'' she averted her gaze downwards ''I had little to none choice, so I took her on. As we fought, I begged of her to return to her senses, since we've been allies before. She refused and she told me she was going to carry out her master's will no matter what; that master being Zed.'' she stopped, letting silence stretch between them.

''And what was that will?'' Ahri asked genuinely curious, slight worry at the back of her voice as she observed Akyo's eyes lose color.

''To take my life.'' she said simply, as Ahri felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She was left wordless, as she thought of something to say and comfort her companion. She didn't wanted to pry open such dark sides of the girl's past.

However, Akyo looked up at her and gave a weak smile. ''But, as you might see, she failed. While I didn't escape without a scratch, I did manage to live. The reason there's this bitter feeling between me and Zed isn't the resentment I feel for him giving out such an order, since I found out it was a lie, but I'm not sure of that either. However, I feel like I've done something wrong to him and I can't quite pinpoint it...'' she trailed off, as Ahri made the bluntest statements she could ever make.

''You love him.'' she said simply and Akyo chocked on her breath. She looked with wide eyes at Ahri.

She dead panned. ''It's obvious, to me at least. I have this, to put it simply, 'talent' at reading off emotions. It's connected with my 'animal' part; you know how people say usually animal companions can feel their master's distress, right?'' Akyo gave a slow nod. ''I haven't lost these talents, even in this half-human form. It's a lot more complicated to explain, but to give another example, Sona also possesses this ability, and I think she has it a lot more stronger than mine.'' she said vriefly, as Akyo looked at the floor processing her thoughts.

''So you knew even without stupid rumors?'' she questioned and Ahri clicked her tongue.

''Yeah, all I needed was to see you two in each other's presence and I read it off you immediately. I didn't miss that thickness in the air either...'' she trailed off.

...

Akyo stabilized herself on her staff as she teleported back to base. Last team fight has been ugly, and thankfully it resulted in a win for hers. However, she together with Master Yi and Zed had taken really ugly damage. Master Yi has said he's going to roam the jungle a little bit more, before teleporting back to base. Zed had already left.

A few minutes later, however, the fate of the match had been sealed. As the purple Nexus blew up, fragments of crystals floating around in the air, Akyo sighed. This ended a lot better than she expected.

Later on, as the blue aura around her dissipated, she woke up back in the summoning chambers. Unfortunately for her, the ridiculous outfit she had been summoned in was still present on her body, as she groaned and mentally yelled to the Gods; what has she done to deserve such a fate?!

As she stepped out of the summoning chambers along with her allies; there was a round of applause as light hit her eyes. High Summoner Vessaria was next to five unknown figures, but they had a very noble and official look. From the clothes, she could say one of them was Demacian, one Ionian, two Noxians, and one from Piltover.

Not long after the champions left their summoning chambers, their summoners followed them as well, another round of applause for them. Akyo observed a variety of reactions, from prideful pushing chests in front, to blushing and to simple indifference.

''Truthfully, an endearing experience Miss Vessaria. What you have here has a bright future, and I must say I have let myself be impressed.'' one of the nobles said. Summoner Vessaria offered them a simple smile.

''Yes, what the League is now is a miraculous and a mysterious creation. Yet, with all its qualities and flaws, we have managed to diminish the thirst for blood that ravaged the lands outside. That is our sole goal, and we are glad we're successfully achieving it.''

Akyo felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see Kaleyn with a pleased smile plastered across her face. ''Your evolution on the rift was flawless Akyo. You surely have improved, and it's a bonus considering your outfit.'' the girl explained, as Akyo offered a deadly glare.

''You better watch your back from now on, Summoner. I'm not going to get over this foolishness so easily.'' she said and the said girl gulped. Yet, she looked with big eyes at Summoner Vessaria as she heard her name being called.

Quickly moving towards the said woman, Vessaria put one hand across the girl's shoulders and brought her closer, all the while talking with the nobles and moving her free hand between them and the girl.

Akyo sighed, as she took this as a sign it was time for her to finally leave. She was going to head towards her room to change this ridiculous outfit she found herself in, until she heard her name being called. Stopping abruptly, she turned around and saw Akali, Shen and Kennen followed by Ryo coming towards her.

''Nice outfit.'' Akali noted simply, hidden amusement in her voice. Akyo shot her a glare.

''Falls behind your nurse one, if I might add.'' she saw a spark flicker in Akali's green emeralds. She grinned behind her mask.

''I must admit your skills have obviously improved since your carrier in the League. This match had shown you in a totally different light.'' Shen said his monotone voice straight as ever. Kennen let an idiotic chuckle escape his mouth.

''And I don't think Shen's talking about the outfit.'' he joked, as Akali arched an eyebrow at him, Shen simply decided to ignore him and Akyo sighed.

Suddenly a voice cut trough the air, as the entire triumvirate's attention snapped towards its origin. IT came from a summoner, as he made gestures with his hands for the three of them to come to him. Quickly bidding goodbye to Akyo and Ryo, the three went straight towards the respective summoner. Thus, Akyo found herself alone with Ryo once more.

''I'll agree with The Eye of Twilight, your performance on the battlefield has been truly enlightening. I felt honored to see such a skilled ninja at work on the Rift.'' he said, as Akyo blocked a flattered smile.

''You're just trying to be nice.'' she said amusedly, as he eyed her curiously.

''Is that how it looks like?'' he questioned, mischievousness at the back of his voice. Akyo feigned to look in thought before answering.

''So am I right?'' she questioned eyeing Ryo curiously.

''Touché.'' he noted simply. Akyo shook her head in amusement.

''Although I have to admit, your appearance surely has and still is a surprising one. This is the 'skin' the summoner was talking about earlier the day?'' he questioned as Akyo couldn't stop the redness from rising to her cheeks. She sighed.

''Yes, she prepared this specifically for me and specifically for this day of the year.'' she said, annoyance still obvious in her voice. Ryo gave an amused chuckle as Akyo averted her gaze, the embarrassment still visible on her face.

Then she heard some muffled sounds behind her, as she looked around and observed Zed stomping his way trough the summoning chambers, towards the corridor. He had a pissed look in his eyes, an unidentified emotion burning in his irises.

Giving him a confused look, Akyo watched his retreating form with soft sadness surrounding the edges of her eyes. Things have been relatively normal between them during the match; she wondered what might've happened to have him so pissed now.

Zed's growing hatred towards this Ryo guy was dangerously approaching its limit now. He ends his talk with his summoner, and the next thing he sees is her pink face and that stupid look in his eyes. She wasn't one easy to be flustered by empty compliments, he knew it. And yet, this guy made titanic progress with a devoted introvert within the spans of two days.

Zed didn't like it. This boy smelled like trouble. And he was pretty sure he wasn't thinking like this because of the burning flame in his chest, pumping venom trough his veins.

Later, after Akyo and Ryo had reached her apartment, she went straight to her room focused on the thought of changing the most humiliating of outfits she has ever been forced to wear.

She removed the red cloak and threw it on the bed, soon followed by the scarf. Looking trough her closet, she found a pair of long black pants and a black T-Shirt. Making them place on the bed as well, she started working with the stupid belt around her waist. Making sure to have removed her shoes when she entered her bedroom, she fought with the golden buckle that kept the dress around her middle. With a soft, triumphant 'aha!' she finally managed to get it open, and started removing the belt.

She heard her door open, just as she removed the black belt from her waist completely, her dress falling in a red and white pile on the floor.

''Lady Akyo, I've been meaning to ask-'' Ryo said, and he stopped as soon as he observed the view in front of his eyes. While most was covered by long brown hair, he saw a heap of red at her feet. She turned her head around to look at him over the shoulder, and her hair moved out of the way, revealing some of her bare back along with a thin pink line around her lower waist. His eyes widened, his features shaping themselves into surprise.

Akyo looked at him with slightly widened eyes, before her blood rushed to her face, painting it in crimson. Quickly covering her chest, even though she was pretty sure it wasn't visible, she glared at Ryo.

''Don't you know how to knock?!'' she questioned furiously in embarrassment, her voice in a higher pitch than she would have liked. Ryo blushed in return, quickly slapping a hand over his eyes and closing the door quickly behind himself.

''My apologies, Lady Akyo.'' she heard Ryo's muffled voice from behind the door. She had already put on the pair of pants and was working on trying her hair when he continued. ''I did not mean to surprise you in such a way.'' he said as Akyo let out a huff, trying to let the blood drown from her face.

''Its alright.'' she sighed, as she opened the door to find Ryo waiting next to it, a very uncomfortable face donning his features. He was about to open his mouth again to apologize, but she cut him off. ''It was mistake, I forgive you.'' she said simply, although Ryo still looked slightly uneasy. ''What was it that you've wanted to tell me?'' she questioned, following his face change features.

''If it isn't too much of a bother after your match, you have offered me the chance to have a look around the Institute today.'' he explained and Akyo let out a small 'oh'.

''Well then, I hope you have your patience with you. This place is larger than you'd think.''

A few hours later, Akyo was walking calmly outside the Institute, towards its gardens, next to an exhausted Ryo, trying very hard to mask his fatigues ness. Akyo had to give the boy credit; he was dead set into keeping up with her, even though she has spent about a week visiting the place around.

She decided to show him the gardens since it felt like a good breath of fresh air. There was no snow in sight, and the rusty colors of autumn already made themselves seen. You'd think the trees would be devoid of their green clothes since inevitable winter was going to descend upon them. But the gardens of the Institute were never naked.

Let it be in summery tones of fresh green and vivid colors, or rusty shades of yellow and orange, trees and flowers never lost their coats here.

It seems Ryo's fatigue has been replaced with wonder, as his eyes went about and fro, captured by the beautiful peisage around him. As they went deeper and deeper into the gardens, Akyo also felt herself more and more at ease. This place always managed to calm down her nerves, and she was sure she wasn't the only one affected by it.

''This place is gorgeous.'' Ryo noted simply and Akyo nodded.

''Indeed. A place of tranquility and peace, no matter what season is.'' She took a small pause, melancholy visible on her features. ''Reminds me of Ionia.''

Ryo glanced in her direction. ''It is only normal for you to miss your hometown. How long has it been since you last visited?'' he questioned. Akyo thought for a while.

''It's been about a few months… Although it's not a big period of time, I think I was more attached of Ionia than I previously thought…'' she trailed off.

''You're only human Lady Akyo.'' Ryo said simply, and she glanced at him with surprise.

She returned her attention on the road. For a while she made no sounds, nor showed any other sign of what was currently running trough her mind.

Then she cracked a smile, followed by an amused scoff.

Then, they found themselves in front of a clearing, surrounded by trees and bushes. The path they came from was still visible, but this clearing looked isolated from the rest of the gardens. Akyo frowned, unfamiliar with the place. She hoped they weren't lost.

Before she could talk with Ryo about this, he opened his mouth first.

''Lady Akyo, it's been an endearing experience to get to know you.'' He said simply, and Akyo stared at him, blinking absent-mindedly. ''But, I'd like to you for a favor, if I may.''

Akyo thought for a little while. ''Go on.''

''Would you offer me the honor of having a sparring session with you?'' he questioned and Akyo frowned, crossing her eyes in slight confusion.

''You want to fight me?''

''Yes.'' Ryo answered simply, his blue orbs collected as ever. Akyo looked unnerved by this. She thought it over and over, and came to the conclusion that nothing bad could come out of this. This clearing was deep within the gardens, and people were busy at this time of the year.

One small hand to hand combat would hurt now, would it?

''Sure.'' She answered simply.

Standing in front of one another in the middle of the clearing, they measured each other in the eye, preparing their strategies of approaching this matter. Then, they both bowed, showing respect to one another, before jumping into fighting stances and setting determined face upon their features.

No further movements were made.

Akyo motioned with her hand towards Ryo in a 'come at me' movement. She let a taunting grin spread across her face, a defying look in her eyes. If there was something she learnt from Zayenn, it was that fighting against a man blinded by fury is just side stepping away from his path.

However, there was something that surprised her. Putting it simply, Ryo simply vanished from her field of view and re-appeared just about in front of her, his eyes looking collected and calm. Surprised, she dodged the fist that was aimed for her face, and turned around.

She spinned on the tip of her toes from her left foot, her right in the air and aimed for Ryo's nape. However, he moved out of the way inhumanely fats again, and dodged it. A strangled gasp escaped Akyo's throat as this continued to confuse her.

'How can he move so goddamn fast?!' she thought to herself, before she felt movement from her back once more. She turned around just in time to block his hit. Catching his arm, she planned on hitting him in the chin with her palm, but he twisted out of her grasp and caught her arm behind her back instead.

She let out a pained yelp, as she moved her leg around Ryo's in an attempt to make him lose balance. She succeeded, as his grip on her wrist loosened and gave Akyo an opening to remove her hand from his grasp.

Twirling on her left heel once more, she prepared to hit him across the face with her foot once more, only to miss again. Quickly regaining balance from the swing, she let out a frustrated 'tch' escape her throat. She felt him behind her again, and this time she was the one going offensive.

Preparing her fist, she turned around to hit him where she felt him he would. He was there, but he dodged her strike in the last moment, catching her arm in the process. With another yelp, Akyo felt him grab her other arm and twist them painfully behind her back, but not too painful.

He held one arm behind her back, while the other was twisted above her head and kept securely on her shoulder blade. A strangled sound of protest left her throat, as she found herself captured and immobilized, unable to do anything more. With her back against his chest, she tried to think of a way to get out of his grip. She wasn't getting bested by a newbie!

''Give it up.'' a deep voice told her from behind, as a hot breath brushed her ear and cheek. She froze, her heart going into irregular beating patterns, as her face colored in crimson. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly, as butterflies flew in her stomach.

Her brain was empty, that's what his voice did. She really didn't expected him to sound like that and she surely didn't thought they were that close. But as is slowly regulating breath kept brushing against her left ear and cheek, she felt her knees give up on her.

''R-Ryo..'' she tried talking. ''Y-You can let go of me now.'' she told him, as she heard a quiet gasp, and slowly felt her hand bee freed. She put space between them, walking a few steps ahead before turning around.

''I apologize if I injured you in any way.'' he said, his eyes looking at her with worry. He feigned it however, inwardly he was pleased when he observed her shaky walk and flustered cheeks.

''No, you haven't. I just have been taken aback, I have to admit. You fight a lot better than I expected.'' Akyo said simply, and Ryo slightly bowed his head.

''It's really flattering to have exceeded your expectations.'' he said simply as Akyo gave another uneasy smile. A gust of wind blew around them, and Akyo felt the biting cold at its end.

''We should return to the Institute, it's getting colder.'' she told him simply, and he nodded and followed.

On the way back however, just as Ryo was about to start a conversation again, he was suddenly cut short, as he felt himself trip over something and lose balance. With surprise written all over his face, and a yelp to accompany his fall, he fell dead silent face-first on the ground.

Akyo turned around and put her hand over her mouth in surprise, eyeing him worriedly.

''You're alright?'' she questioned, leaning down to help him get up. With a frown on his face and a mutter of curses he looked at her.

''Yeah, I'm fine. Although I'm not quite sure why I fell. I'm pretty positive there wasn't anything in my way.'' he told her, as Akyo cast a glance behind him, to observe the form of a retreating shadow behind some bushes.

Arching an eyebrow, she helped Ryo up as they continued the journey to the Institute. From somewhere behind the bushes, under the shadow of a tree, a very pleased Zed watched the grumpy retreating form of Ryo.

He had to admit, he couldn't stop himself from making that prick tumble on the floor.

But why was he here in the gardens you may ask?

Well, he came here to think, as his suspicions around this Ryo guy only continued to grow. He really didn't trust him; there were a lot of question marks around him. He could have talked to the Kinkou; however neither of them seemed to be fond of him either. He seemed for follow Akyo around like a lost puppy, and she couldn't push him away because that would most likely make her feel guilty about it.

Not even to mention how he slithered his way under her skin already. Zed frowned further, as he remembered Ahri earlier the day.

'What does she know?' he questioned himself again, as he heard shouts and movement from somewhere near the secluded clearing he was going towards to. Using the trees and bushes as disguise to keep him away from prying eyes, he slowly made it to a point where he could clearly see what was going on.

And he felt another wave of inexplicable anger flow into him.

He wasn't exactly angered by how nimble and way to agile the boy looked, but how their little sparring session ended. How close he kept her and he wasn't even fazed or bothered by the extremely close proximity they found themselves in. Further more, Zed couldn't quite catch what they were saying, but he observed Akyo's face and it was enough for him to feel the sweet urge of wanting to rip his head off.

He reluctantly let go of her after she told him to do so. While Akyo was still a little shaky on her feet, Zed had been all about observing that little bug's face and features. He caught the disappointment in his eyes that was soon followed by a stupid satisfaction, as he saw a small light flicker in those annoying blue irises of his.

He shook his head, trying to focus on better things that this stupid burning flames in his chest. He didn't understand it even now, what was it? And why was it burning harder and harder every time he saw Ryo shamelessly flirt with Akyo?

Didn't he hate her after all? She did slap him across the face; he didn't really have over that. Not to mention the previous mistakes she made.

But still, he couldn't help it. This venom that replaced his blood, the way his pulse went over normal limits, this anger he couldn't quite identify. He felt many types of angers before; he lived off it for a while. But this wasn't familiar, although it felt that way. What could it be?

Not to mention, he was intrigued by the way Ryo moved. He was fast, but it was too fast for a normal human, even if he was a part of the Kinkou. There was something fishy in the middle of it all, Zed knew it, and he felt it. This boy was going to bring Akyo only trouble; and he will have to be there to get her out of it.

Back at the Institute, the moon cast its light over the structure's form, as everybody rested from another day. And while some minds were captured by the deep realms of thoughts, some were already drifting softly towards the realms of dreams.

And thus, we're returning to the present, were Akyo was donning a ridiculous outfit for her work around the rift. Vendors have already set gift shops and people have already invaded it. Most likely Akali, Shen and Kennen were already there, having started their jobs. Akyo was still straightening some of her clothes, before she opened the door to her room and walked in the living.

She observed that instead of Ryo, the summoner girl was also there with a small smile on her face. Upon Akyo's appearance, she put a hand over her mouth to hide her growing grin. Ryo, however, arched an eyebrow.

''You summoners surely have interesting thoughts.'' he noted simply, as Kaleyn let out a giggle.

''Well, now that you're done Akyo, it's time for you to start your job. I'm here to lead you to your friends, then I'll have to leave for some other business.'' the girl explained and Akyo let out a sigh.

''Let's get this over with.'' she said simply, as she hoped the day would just run faster.

''I have received message from Master Reiko to return to the Order. I'm afraid here is where we part paths.'' Ryo said, as they exited the apartment and Akyo let out a small 'oh'.

''Well then, it's been a pleasure to meet you Ryo.'' she told him and he offered her a sincere smile.

''Same goes for me. I hope we'll get to see each other some other time.'' he said, before turning around and leaving.

As the brown haired summoner girl started leading the way, Akyo heard small snickering coming from her.

''Well that explains a lot.'' she mumbled but Akyo caught it. She arched an eyebrow.

''I beg your pardon?'' she told the girl, as she jumped slightly before waving her hand.

''N-Nothing, let's just go.''

The Summoner's Rift festive mood was high in the air. People went everywhere and fro, as snow flowed gently from the skies. All typed of people could be seen, from chubby lovely ladies to small loud yordles.

There were stalls everywhere; having everything you could dream of: food. Candy, gifts, clothes, plushies, everything a mind could so desire for such an event. The smell of gingerbread was everywhere, as jingle of bells and happy laughter were heard from all over the place.

Everything was a solitary green, red and white.

As the two moved around the ocean of people, Akyo slowly caught vision of a structure. It looked like some sort of throne that was decorated in mistletoes, snow, and candy was somewhere put slightly up in the air with stairs leading to it. Big candy canes, with festive decorated trees and gifts were everywhere around it, and there were cordons to guide parents and children around.

Akyo had to slap a hand over her mouth when she recognized the tree people that were there. With a hand supporting his head, a visibly frustrated and irritated Shen, dressed in a Santa Claus costume was seating on the throne. Akali, dressed in a green elf with everything she needed, even the pointy ears was looking little to none excited or even into the festive mood of the Rift, as she had a very displeased look in her eyes. Kennen however was all into Snow Down spirit, as he ran and laughed and kept the mood alive.

Kaleyn eyed the girl. ''You must be very amused, but you wont be working here however. I'll have you pass flyers around for the Snow Down concert. Akyo sighed.

Kaleyn stopped in front of a gingerbread house with a candy cane next to it, as she handed Akyo all the flyers. Akyo gave another dramatic sigh, as she stopped herself from ripping those flyers apart. Kaleyn eyed her curiously.

''When you finish those, I'll have another three rounds of them, so just enter and announce me. After you finish, you are free to do whatever you please, but at least try to smile until then, alright?'' Akyo nodded. ''And no slacking!'' she called behind her shoulder, as she closed the gingerbread's house door behind her. Akyo sighed again and started handing out flyers.

Zed was waking irritated trough this sea of people. This place wasn't really his cup of tea, but he needed to take care of his groceries and all the stores seemed to have moved magically inside. Instead of his usual costume, he wore a jacket with a hoodie on his head to prevent him from the cold. A scarf was wrapped around his neck, covering most of his features as his crimson eyes looked over the items on the stalls.

He let his eyes wonder around; as he caught sight of the most amusing view he ever had the pleasure of seeing. Shen perked on a chair with a Santa Claus costume and a loud kid in his lap. Zed really needed all of his auto- control to not break into laughter right there, this was too good. It was **gold**!

Recovering, he continued his way around the stalls, looking for his desired items. But, as he continued walking forward he also laid eyes on another Snow Down costume themed person. As his eyes widened in a pleasured surprise, he could feel blood threatening to run down from his nose.

If her skin for the Snow Down covered something with the cape, the summoner who made her wear this surely showed little to none mercy this time. Bare shoulders, visible long thighs much of her chest exposed to the cold air. With a forced smile, Akyo shared around flyers for god knows what, but Zed could care less about them.

He stayed away from people's way as he kept his gaze directly on her form. Suddenly, her felt a presence on his right and then arms wrapped around his own. He looked over there and sighed, why was she following around lately?

''Hey Zed~'' Ahri purred in her cutest tones. She had her midnight outfit, probably even she felt the cold air. Zed frowned and looked straight forward, not pleased of his current company.

''What do you want Ahri?'' he questioned simply, as Ahri pursed her lips in thought.

''Well, I was walking around the place and had the most of surprise to see you here. Without your mask none the less.'' she paused for a while, before she noticed something and grinned devilishly. ''What are you looking at, hmm?''

Zed kept his facade cool. ''Nothing.'' he replied flatly. Ahri clicked her tongue.

''Doesn't look like nothing to me.'' she said, with a dead pan expression towards something, as Zed looked in that direction. He felt that burning flame again, as he saw Jayce, the Piltoverian scientist make cute eyes at Akyo.

He gave the said girl a smug face, event went as far as to put a hand around her waist and pull her closer. Zed almost followed his impulse to stomp over there and kick the man in the face himself, but he was beaten to it.

Akyo punched him straight in the face with indifference, and then flipped him in mid air, letting him fall unceremoniously to the ground. Some people stood and stared, but then they shrugged and went by their way.

Ahri looked intrigued at Zed and then giggled, all the while having that devilish grin on her face. Zed looked at her and frowned. ''What?'' he questioned.

Ahri bit her tongue. ''I'd never see you for the possessive type. But I must admit, you're cute when you're jealous.''

Zed's face paled. He was what? ''I'm not jealous.'' he said flatly again, as Ahri dead panned at him again.

''Oh really?'' she asked sarcastically, pointing with her perfectly manicured finger towards Akyo once more. Zed looked towards the direction once more.

This time, the one who was in a closer proximity than he liked to Akyo was Draven. He had that shit eating grin all over his face, while talking to Akyo. With a very irritated face, the girl tried to continue her task, before Draven pushed his luck a little too far.

Zed's body tensed in anger as he saw exactly where Draven's hand landed. With a crimson face Akyo turned around and slapped him shamelessly across the face, the sound echoing in the distance. Then, she executed a perfect round house kick all the while holding the flyers and glared at Draven's bleeding nose.

Huffing slightly the girl returned to her original task, this time the irritation and murder written all over her face. Darius made his appearance not long after and talked with Akyo for a while before sighing and picking up his knocked out cold brother.

Ahri looked at Zed once more. ''Relax there, big guy. You're still sure about your first statement?'' she questioned, and Zed sighed in annoyance.

''Yes. Don't be a fool Ahri, I'm not jealous.'' he explained once more, glaring at the Nine-tailed fox. She looked at him with an unimpressed face, before returning her attention to Akyo and with raised eyebrows she let another grin spread across her face.

''We'll see about that in a minute.'' she said simply and Zed looked questioningly at her. Then, he looked at Akyo again and he seriously felt like this was getting ridiculous.

A very festive Gragas was this time in her presence, as he let a drunken smile spread across his face. Akyo gave him an uneasy smile, trying to push the very knocked out champion away, but to no avail. With shaky footsteps, he approached her and fell right on top of her. With a yelp, the flyers fell from her hands in a mess.

If it wasn't for Ahri to hold him back, Zed was sure he was going to beat Gragas into a pulp. The charmer kept her hold strong on Zed, panicking telling him to calm down. He stopped any further attempts from moving, as he observed the events unfolding before his eyes with a dangerous frown.

With inhumane force, Akyo pushed Gragas away from her body, taking desperate breaths for air. After she finally recovered from her deprivation of oxygen, she stood up and dusted off her clothes. Then, she turned towards Gragas with a deadly face, as the poor drunkard tried to apologize to the infuriated lady. Balling her fists and crackling her knuckles, Akyo was prepared to give Gragas a lesson before Jax showed up, just as drunk - if not even more - as his friend, trying to protect him.

None the less, people were very entertained by the way a slender girl used a massive champion to beat another.

Clapping away her hands in order to dust them off, Akyo entered the gingerbread house and then came out with another stack of papers and continued on her business.

Zed paused, gripping the base of his nose. He knew that he couldn't deny it now, Ahri had her proof and he would look like a fool. But why would he be jealous? Didn't he hate her? Wasn't he the one wronged into this situation?

Ahri observed his inner turmoil and sighed. ''You two are such fools, it hurts to watch.'' she said with a disappointed tone, and Zed shot her a glare.

He paused for a while before he remembered something. ''Didn't you said you know something about her I might not?'' he asked her and Ahri giggled.

''I don't tell secrets Zed, I hear them. That, is up for you to find out.'' she said wisely and Zed groaned. Ahri shot him a pointed look. ''Stop being so grumpy over the fact that you're jealous, it's only normal.''

He was about to argue about it, before closing his mouth and sighing. ''Why would I be?'' he questioned nobody in particular and Ahri gave a small sigh of her own.

''Because you care about her much more than you'd think. Both of you have made mistakes, and both of you refuse to apologize. A step in the right direction would be for you at least to come at terms with your feelings.''

His feelings for her? Truthfully, ever since that nuisance Ryo appeared, he had been curious about Akyo's whereabouts a lot more than usual. He hated to admit it, but there was still something. There was still something that burned there, that hasn't died over the years of bitter anger.

He still cared about her.

Thinking that her job is done, Ahri let a pleased smile spread across her face before bidding Zed farewell. He didn't listened to her, as he continued to delve deeper into this unknown realms of feelings and emotions, finally reaching an answer that explained why everything that has happened until this point made deeper wounds than it should have.

He loved her. That was for sure.

And he let her go and lost her a few times. But he was having none of it ever again.

Whether the Kinkou liked it or not, he wasn't going to let go of Akyo this time.

_**Not anymore.**_

~(o-o)~

Her footsteps bounced off in silence as she exited on the balcony. Surely, the Snow Down party took a head start, Pentakill knew how to keep their crowd entertained and with blood pumping. She barely made it out of that chaos, and now she loved the new silence she found herself into. Ryo had also left earlier the day, so she was all by herself.

She felt a small tug in her heart. 'All by myself...'

Shen and Akali most likely already were spending some time together. Giving off a frustrated puff of air, she hoped those two would just put it on the table already, so she wouldn't have to deal with anxious Akali. She was annoying. Oh, so annoying.

She let her arms rest on the balcony's edge, letting the easy, biting wind to go by his business. There wasn't yet a sight of snow yet, even if it should've been here for about a few weeks by now.

She let her mind wonder, as her eyes searched trough the lighted skies. The moon shone brightly, like a silvery diamond atop a soft deep blue satin sheet. The starts accompanied her beautiful light, showing off their small source of light as well.

It is said that each and every person has a star for them, and when they die, their star dies together with them as well. It's alike with the story of the guardian angel. Bound to you until your death, he's there to shield you from the danger and evils of the world. The star is supposed to shower you in its warm light to keep you safe and happy.

She let out an irritated puff of air, as these ideas seemed ridiculous even for her. Where had her guardian angel been a few years ago? Where is her star now, when she felt lonely and cold?

There was a second pair of steps that she heard, as she looked over her shoulder to see the person that was coming. As soon as her eyes landed on his form, she immediately turned around, resting her back on the edge of the balcony. She felt her heart pick up its rhythm, as her entire being filled with anxiety.

From behind the corner of the wall, Zed showed himself, wearing very casual clothes. His usual mask was nowhere to be seen, as the light of the moon shone over his features, and the wind rattled his messy hair. Akyo held her breath. She swore she heard a twinkle.

He had his eyes on the floor, looking deep in thought. However, when he felt the moon's light over his form, he raised his eyes and they landed on Akyo's unmoving figure. He looked surprised and slightly taken aback for a moment, before it disappeared from his indifferent face.

''I didn't expect you to be here.'' he said simply, his voice even. He eyed her a little before he spoke again. ''With that outfit, at least.''

She blushed fiercely at his remark, but kept her voice even. ''I'm not really a party person. I just came here to clear up my mind.'' she said simply, as Zed scoffed and joined her to the edge of the balcony, letting plenty of distance between them.

''Can't blame you.'' he said simply, letting a small pause. ''But who forced you into such torture?''

Akyo let a small groan escape her lips. ''High Summoner Vessaria. I swear that woman loves to torture us.'' she said annoyed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Zed let an amused 'tch' escape his throat.

And then there was silence. A tense one.

Akyo averted her eyes towards the floor, refusing to look up or at Zed. She had been thinking it over and over ever since that damned match two days ago. She couldn't stand it; she felt this burning flame inside her when she saw it.

How Ahri was all over Zed, even though that was Ahri's nature.

And she was pretty sure it was visible in her actions, acting with a lot more force that she should have. But she killed her quickly, she was jealous but she wasn't going to make Ahri suffer for it.

And then she internally groaned while bringing a palm to her face to hide her embarrassed features. IT had been then when she slowly started to sort out that mess in her heart, and that mess in her brain.

She was jealous over Ahri's close proximity with Zed, which ultimately led her towards the conclusion that she wasn't over him. Heck no, she loved him as much as ever.

She went over their heated argument again and again and again. And she had to admit, she was making herself look like a victim way too much. She had made horrible mistakes and hurt him just as much as he did to her.

After her trial, she abandoned him. It wasn't made with her accord, but she was gone almost all the time. And she had to admit, she spent a lot of time next to Master Youken, she totally forgot about him when she had been introduced in her new role.

She saw it in his eyes when she finally decided to say hi to him. She saw she broke him, she broke his trust he had for her as a friend, and that's when he fell into Zayenn's temptation. She clenched her jaw, unconsciously letting out an angry 'tch'.

''Goddamn it.''

And then there was the argument he brought up when she slapped him across the face. After he told her she broke his trust, he saw that his usual collected crimson irises showed off his inner turmoil. She really did break him again once more, just as many times he broke her.

She gave an inward unamused chuckle. ''Fair exchange, eh?'' she mumbled unconsciously.

He had a reason to be angry at her; she had a reason to be angry at him. But looking into perspective, this was just a child's fight, born out of misunderstanding and regretful mistakes. Maybe they weren't going to be again like they once were, but maybe she can at least make peace with him. Maybe at least she can be friends with him again.

Letting out a sigh, she put on a determined face as she lowered her hand and prepared herself to tell Zed all of her thoughts. When she looked to her right, she observed he was a lot closer, his eyes solely trained on her face. She felt heat rising up to her cheeks.

''Uh?'' she let out as Zed blinked a few times before turning his eyes away to stare at god knows what.

''You were making weird faces.''

''Oh.''

And there it was that stupid silence again. Already getting annoyed, Akyo gathered her courage and steeled her resolve.

She was going to se things right. Years of mistakes.

''Zed.'' she began simply, making him slightly raise his head a little higher. He didn't look at her, but she knew he was listening. She gave a small sigh, before deciding on how to best start this conversation.

''I'm sorry.'' she said simply, obviously catching him off-guard. He looked at her, confusion written all over his features.

''What?'' he asked, before she huffed a little and then started explaining herself.

''For what I've done some time ago, after a match. For-'' she paused abruptly, but continued. ''Slapping you over the face. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry.'' she finished, but she felt her heart constrict. This wasn't everything she was sorry for.

He looked conflicted; he didn't know how to answer her apology. While he was thinking over what he should say, he heard her draw in a sharp breath before speaking again.

''A-and..'' she tried, her voice extremely weak ''I'm- I-...'' she trailed off, as she huffed annoyed. ''Oh for the love of...'' she couldn't take it looking at him anymore, so she focused on another point in the space before her, as she found it easier to speak now. ''There's a lot more I want to apologize for. It's not only when I slapped you; that was just one from the number of mistakes I've made to you.''

She steeled herself for the third time. Zed kept silent. She continued.

''I'm sorry for abandoning you after the trial. I'm sorry for leaving you in the air like that; it's just that I've been pulled into something that took me aback completely. I- I had a hard time dealing with everything that was suddenly thrown at me, all the responsibilities I suddenly had to bear and all the things I had to do. B-But instead of coming to you, I just decided to deal with it on my own, prove to you I'm a grown -up girl.'' she let out a sad chuckle. ''How that worked, huh?''

Zed still said nothing, she continued her rant.

''And I'm sorry for breaking your trust. B-But..'' she choked, trying to continue. ''But I couldn't understand why you would still trust a dead person...'' she finished, as a long silence covered the space between them.

Zed furrowed his brows in a small frown. ''I-'' he felt as words failed to help him, and he was still undecided about his next decision. Should he tell her everything?

She tried to let out a laugh. She failed, as it came out strangled and weak. "I can't blame you, really. For a while I accepted the fact that you sent Zayenn out for my head.'' she looked up, trying to swallow her tears. Zed's eyes widened.

''I did what?'' he questioned, as his genuinely confused tone took even Akyo aback. She looked at him with wide eyes.

''Y-you sent her to kill me when you attacked Kinkou, d-didn't you?!'' she asked, as Zed's face changed from surprised to angered, and then he let out a sigh while gripping the base of his nose and mumbling under his breath. Akyo felt her heart flutter.

''This incredulous f**king liar.'' he said, his tone lanced with slight venom. He then sighed and looked Akyo directly in the eye while speaking.

''When I invaded Kinkou, my original main goal was to wipe out the master along with his three main puppies: Akali, Kennen and Shen. My next following task was to make you join me. I had given Zayenn precise instructions to not lay a single finger on you. She returned to me and told me you denied her persuasion into joining me and attacked her first. She fought you in order to survive and had fatally hurt you in the process of her self-defense.'' he explained briefly.

Akyo's eyes were wide as saucers, her mouth slightly open. Her brain had a hard time processing what he just said, as she found it hard to believe it. Zed observed her face. ''So she lied to you...''

Akyo had a hard time forming words. ''Y-yes, s-she did...'' she looked at the floor, as she felt her throat knot itself more and more, as she slowly got what Zed said trough her brain. ''S-So you don't hate me?'' she managed to get out, as Zed frowned at her.

''Well, considering you apologized for slapping me for no reason over the face, no I have no reason to ha-'' he stopped short when he observed the crystal liquid on her cheeks.

As soon as she heard him say that, the next thing she felt was warmth on her cheeks, accompanied by wetness. Her tears escaped her eyes at a slow rate, as they flowed gently down her cheeks, down her jaw line up to her chin and then falling down.

She wasn't sure why she was crying though. Maybe it was the relief his words brought her, the relief she needed to feel deep down. She had a hard time living with the thought of having the man she loved hate her; but now it was gone, and her tears were proof of her happiness.

''H-Hey..'' Zed began, really uncertain on how to approach her now. What did he said to make her cry now, really? He knew he was bad at handling people, but this was a first time. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder to help her calm down, and then she moved.

Swiftly and in a moment, her arms were wrapped around his torso, pulling him in an oh, so needed hug. She pressed her face into his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as she felt her heart jump into her chest with happiness over and over again.

A little taken aback, Zed decided that the best right now was to return the gesture and so he did. But he felt just how cold her skin was, and how she was shivering slightly from the cold. He tightened his hold around her, as that shivering slowly stopped.

He sighed, as he let his head rest on hers. ''Why are you crying?'' he asked as she shifted slightly.

''I-I don't know, honestly.'' she said simply and he dead panned. Giving another sigh, he slightly pulled her away and raised her head to wipe her tears away. If there's one thing he will always remember about her, was that behind all that though exterior she tried to build, there was the most sensitive of hearts inside.

And just how his heart plummeted when he saw tears slide down her rosy cheeks from her beautiful eyes.

''You're always such a problem...'' he muttered, and she managed to let out a chuckle. However, she arched an eyebrow at his statement, keeping an amused smirk on her face.

''Oh really? Master Youken might digress.'' she said, as she observed how his eyebrow twitched slightly.

''That old man always had something against me, I swear...'' he mumbled angrily as Akyo shook her head. Seems things were normal, at least as normal as they could be.

As another silence again fell on the two, this time it was devoid of its previous tenseness. Akyo felt her heart a lot lighter than it had been in a long time; finally things were starting to set up, weren't they?

Then, Zed took a few steps back, letting Akyo feel the bitter bite of the wind's cold breath. Suppressing a shiver, she looked at him, as he focused on the floor, thinking about his next words.

Then, he looked in her eyes and spoke.

''Things might still be a little complicated, but I have an idea.'' Akyo slightly tilted her head in curiosity. Zed stretched her a hand and then offered her the slightest of smiles. ''How about we start this all over?''

Her eyes widened. Her breathing stopped.

And then the most stupid of smiles plastered across her face, reaching all up to her eyes.

She reached for Zed's hand and shook it firmly, all the while smiling like an idiot.

''Yeah. I like how that sounds.''

He liked it when she smiled like an idiot.

About an hour later, they were still on the balcony, talking about the past and reminiscing it like nothing ever happened. Akyo was glad she could finally have a normal conversation with Zed all over again. It felt heart warming to know there wasn't any bitter regret or anger between them anymore. She thought about what the summoner girl told her earlier the day.

_'Snow Down is a season of miracles.'_

Akyo chuckled. 'Yeah, it might just be.'

With a tired sigh, Zed started walking towards the warm interior of the Institute once more, as he let Akyo in her own thoughts. However, she observed his sudden movement and questioned his actions.

''It's late. Tomorrow might be free day, but I have to return to the Shadow Order. There's just so much time I can leave Zayenn on her own.'' at the mention of her name, his face set into a deep frown once more as he remembered his wish of talking with her as soon as possible. ''And I have something I'd like to talk with her.'' he said, anger obvious in his voice.

Akyo gave him a slight pout, a soft disappointed face on her features. She sighed dejectedly and gave a small smile.

''Alright then, goodnight.'' she called, before returning to her staring off into the distance of the vast lands before the Institute. As Zed was about to reach the glass doors that lead inside, he observed a small white object floating idly in the air. His eyes widened softly in surprise.

'Snow.'

A sudden thought striked him, as he took a glance over his shoulder at Akyo's bare shoulders.

She was deep into her thoughts, letting everything that had transpired be absorbed by her brain. Suddenly, she felt warmth being thrown onto her bare back and shoulders, and looked at it to find it was Zed's hoodie. Confused, she was about to ask him why he threw it at her, only to find him gone. Then, she noticed the fragile snowflakes dancing in the air above her, and her eyes were glued to them. Another genuine smile stretched across her features as laughter bubbled up in her throat. She didn't even made any attempts in blocking it.

''You're such a figure, Zed.'' she said to nobody in particular, as she felt her heart easy and her mind clear. Her eyes stayed glued to the sky that rained down with small snowflakes, her smile all the while on her face, keeping the warm material around her shoulders with her hands.

'Maybe I did the right choice in not giving up, eh?' she thought, as sad tears glistened her eyes, before she blinked them back. She wasn't going to let melancholy ruin her mood.

It took years, but finally, after this horrible wait, fate slowly started to side with her. And now, more than ever, she thanked her for guiding her out of that darkness. She wished she would still be alive to hug her again and thank her personally, but that can't do.

''Thanks, mother.'' she whispered, as the wind carried her words away.

Over lands and across seas; trough forests and between grass blades, her crystal clear words reached an old and gray tombstone across a hill. The tombstone wasn't alone, circled by others, as the cemetery was strategically hidden trough Ionia's forests.

A shinning figure was resting on the tombstone, her black long hair flowing along with the breath of wind. Her eyes were closed, but there was a slight smile on her face. Her white and black kimono covered most of her form, giving her an ethereal look. As those sweet words reached her ears, she smiled fully in what seemed ages and opened her eyes to reveal onyx orbs.

She let herself cry. It's been a while. But this time she wasn't crying because of sadness, but because of happiness and pride. She knew she had it in herself, and she knew she would make her proud. Her beautiful eyes rose to look at the sky, as lonely tears fell down her face, crystallized and dropped at the base of the tombstone in form of perfectly round shaped clear diamonds.

As the wind's intensity grew, she raised to a normal standing position, looking around herself for a while. Then, with her smile never leaving her face, she said something only the spirits of the dead could hear, before she disappeared in the wind's enraged gale.

Back at the Institute Zed was moving towards his room, his silent steps allowing him to hear everything else around him. It also made it easier for him to hear a laughter he hadn't heard in years not from too far away.

He let a smile spread across his face, a simple, genuine smile. It's been a while since he last time smiled, hasn't it?

**AN: FINALLY. THIS IS OUT.**

**GODDAMN IT. THIS WAS A PAIN TO WRITE.**

**But none the less, we have a nice ending to this entire League charade. And ohh boy wasn't this interesting.**

**Alright, I have tons of reviews to answer so I'll get to it. Multiple reviews will be numbered.**

**lebronzejames123 : Well then, I guess I'm banned from life. *well shizzle***

**Balthamel: I hope there is enough humor, I have a shitty sense of humor and I tried my best at making this as funny as I could ^^.**

**Balthamel #2: Also, thanks for welcoming me back. Even though I'm lazy as heck. I apologize once again ;_;**

**pedrokotii: I'm glad to know I have improved ever since I started. It's nice to know there's progress. Also, I' mat terms with being depressed, don't worry xD. Thanks for liking the story.**

**pedrokotii #2: I'm glad you still have faith in me ;_; . Hope this was good enough. *cries***

**pedrokotii #3: F-Fire everything? O_O'' Well that surely is mercy, thanks ;^; . Here dear sir, have an update.**

**littleflower54276408: Aww, you keep our PMs? *cries liek a nub* Omg, that kills me on the inside, it's bootiful ;_; . I have been wondering myself why Zed was so darn distracted. IT WAS YOUR FAULT. He even asked me what Titanic is about, goddamn it littleflower! I might think if he will buy her chocolates or not... Would you be a happy with a kiss? XD. Also, I had no idea you have a mind-controllign device, I shall be more weary of you now o_o''**

**littleflower54276408 #2: *hugs back* Amg why are you people so nice to me? You should be mad, I'd let you be how mad you'd like ;_; . Here's the update, hope it reached your expectations. Things will become a little more interesting from now on, I hope you're ready for plot twistsssss~~~**

**Saladeo: STORY IS BACK. THINGS ARE NICE. FORGIVE ME PLEASE. (This goes for both reviews, I have no others words to express regret xD)**

**canthandlemyswag: Did I mention I love your name? I think I did? Doesn't matter, I LOVE YOUR NAME. The puns bro, they still have me snorting. Thanks for all the encouragement, I appreciate it.**

**canthandlemyswag #2: I read your review in Taric's voice. I still have nightmares ;_;**

**Spazway2: WOMAN, I WILL BOW AND CRY AND HUG YOU AND CRY AND APOLOGIZE AS MANY TIMES AS I NEED. Please come back if you haven't already, I would die a little inside if I knew you stopped reading this and hate my very existence, I'm so sorry ;_;**

**Infecteddotter43: Well, I didn't have time to express my thoughts towards you, but I still thank you for helping me out. No worries, the reason reviews exists is to give feedback, and I appreciate all types of feedback as long as it's there. Also, I again apologize for the long wait, hope you're still here :)**

**Guest : I' M STILL HERE. AND THIS IS STILL GOING.**

**Artenyx: Well this took even longer. You have the right to kill me ;_; **

**Nadral: Well I'm 16 and turning 17 next year. Yay, I miss kindergarten ._. . Soooo, do I still get a razzle dazzle hug with cookies and chocolate on top? Pls? pls ;_;? And was that an UberDonger reference I was supposed to get *3*?**

**Nadral #2: Welp, I hope school isn't too hard on your head. I know how it is. And surely, you love Irelia. Lol can't say I don't xD!**

**Nadral #3: I'M AMAZING. Actually, I'm super lazy, but Imma back bby~. Hope you're still here ;_;**

**Coski (or Yuki, tell me what you prefer xD): I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a hard case of laziness, I apologize for that. Also, yeah, I got 100 reviews, Yay for nub writing ;_;**

**Coski #2: I'm so glad you haven't left me, even thought you had every reason to ;_; . I'll be more active around here, I promise. I'll get this stuff done sometime. Hopefully, I'll keep up my program ._.**

**Sabrine321: A lemon huhh? Well, we'll see about that one~**

**Sabrine321 #2: Aww, don't worry. They aren't going anywhere ;_;**

**Guest #2: Sorry, so sorry it took so long. I'm back, and I promise I won't leave again. I swear I'll finish this, and God forbid I shall leave on such a long hiatus again.**

**IWasAnAccident: NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. I'm continuing this, even if I have to stay up until late at night, I'll continue this! = :[**

**minoturus: Thanks for the chocolates, yes there is a schedule and nope this isn't dead. Hope you're still here :'c**

**IWasAnAccident #2: Well it's not bad, but I'm not that fond of it anymore. Giving it a new look should make me feel better about it ^^.**

**Disdun: Aww, I'm glad you think about the story that way c: . I'm not leaving again.**

**Disdun #2: Because I'm extremely stupid ^^''**

**SpiritValentine: I know it's about time, sorry ;_; *senpai hugs Valentine-chan***

**JdkLeBleau728: That's all I need to hear. MORE FEEEEELS.**

**Guest #3: Riot can do whatevs they want. I'M KEEPING THE SUMMONERS =: [**

**Guest #4: T-That... Omg, I need to breathe *dies laughing* . Hope my poor bottom will be sparred from roasting now, thank you xD!**

**And that's about it. I have put an interesting drabble in ''A Key to Starlight'' if you'd like to check it out.**

**Ok, big chapter is coming trough, I need to sleep.**

**See you next Sunday ^^.**


	12. Chapter 12: Revelations and Regrets

There is Light in Darkness Chapter 11

The cold air that floated around the Institute felt refreshing and jovial. Snowflakes were still dancing in the air, and they had already covered this part of Valoran in endless white purity. The darkened color of the Institute's structure contrasted with the shinning whiteness of the snow, but the red and green decorations around it compensated for the lack of other colors.

Inside the Institute, it was utter peace. No sound, not even footsteps could be heard. Everything was still, as the time itself seemed to have taken a break and stopped for a while. The sun was already up in the sky, although his light did little to warm the cold atmosphere outside and inside.

After the party that had kept up everybody present on the Rift awake last night, people were trying to fill up their empty energy tanks. Usually, about this time of the day, the Institute was as alive as always, shouts, steps, and a general organized chaos going on.

But this continued silence was something normal following the day of the Snow Down.

A lost gust of wind flew aimlessly around the empty halls, as it's almost silent breath echoed and disappeared as it bounced off the stone cold walls. There was no sign of a living person, not even the sound of an animal, or the chirping of birds could be heard.

Only a static silence that engulfed the entire place, making it look like time itself had no power here, like it never flowed.

But, behind the closed doors of the Champion's apartments, some snoring could be heard. Everybody was still in their beds, recovering from the party from the night before. Even the most of energetic of Yordles were sleeping in.

But, ah, there it was. The sound of stealthy footsteps colliding against the stone floor. The rhythmical almost inaudible beating against the floor, echoed like drums in the deep silence. Even the owner of these steps was amazed by this.

As he continued on his way, he silently pondered and let himself be amazed by the prolonged beautiful peace ness of the Institute. Usually, it was crammed with people and filled with senseless chaos, but now, it felt heavenly to finally see the Institute so quiet and peaceful.

His destination was the exit of the Institute; he had problems to be dealt with back at home, in his city state. As his footsteps guided him towards the door, he became aware of another presence already there. Looking up, he arched an eyebrow in intrigued ness. The person smiled.

''Master of Shadows.'' the summoner girl greeted, looking as rested as ever.

''Summoner.'' Zed said back, the slightest of surprise in the back of his voice. ''I didn't expect you to be here, or awake to say in the least.'' he explained, as the girl let a chuckle escape her lips.

''I'm not a party person. Last night I was only awake to make sure nobody will freeze to death, and then I went by my own business. And I couldn't sleep in even if I wanted to. I guess that was being Vessaria's protégé makes out of you, I suppose.'' she explained, although there was the slightest tinge of exhaustion in her voice.

Then, she continued.

''Do you plan on leaving the Institute?'' she questioned and Zed nodded.

''I have a few 'things' that I need to take care of back in Ionia. While it wont tangle my duties here, I need to address them now.'' he explained simply and the girl nodded.

''Well then, I should take a problem off your shoulders and get you there. I need to reach Ionia as well today, so, I guess you can call yourself lucky.'' the girl finished, motioning for him to come.

Exiting the Institute's door, the summoner girl put her hood on her head, as her usual ball of blue magic appeared in her hands. Motioning Zed to come closer, she put a hand on his shoulder, while preparing to cast the teleporting spell.

''Ever used teleport outside the Rift?'' she questioned.

Zed narrowed his eyes. The summoner girl scoffed.

''Well then, prepare for an interesting trip.''

If there was one thing Zed despised was teleporting, and especially doing it outside the battlefield. On the Rift, where magic was more concentrated and more effective, teleporting didn't prove a much of a challenge.

But outside the Rift was different.

Let's just say it gave him a bad headache he might not move on from anytime soon. The summoner girl was kind enough to drop him off in Ionia's forests, and then going on by her own business.

But now, his main target was going back to the Order. He may have been vague to the summoner girl in his business at The Shadow Order, but oh boy, somebody wasn't getting any presents this Snow Down.

His first thing on his To Do list was to have a chat with Zayenn. He had told his disciples and her multiple times, that disobeying his orders never end up pretty. He even demonstrated it a few times. And Zayenn was no exception from that rule.

On top of it, she lied. Maybe he didn't trust her, but he expected her to at least respect him and tell the truth. But, coming to think about it, he could've cared less she was honest or not, she still disobeyed clear orders he had given out.

As he observed the gates of his Order, he kept his pace, as the gates opened by themselves, letting him in. Inside, people were up and awake, students doing their daily training in the main yard.

From the top of the stairs that led inside the Order, Zayenn supervised all of the training with hawk-like eyes, making sure nobody dared to slack off. Upon observing the gates move, and Zed coming trough them, her eyes slightly opened in surprise, before they returned to their usual frowning stance, as she yelled.

''HALT!'' she commanded the students, as the stopped immediately. They turned to look at her, as she glared downwards at them. ''Show respect, you little bugs. Your Master has returned.'' she announced them, as they observed Zed idle figure looking at them.

Quickly, faster than the eye could process, they all made arranged themselves symmetrically, letting place in the middle for Zed to pass. Quickly, the bowed from their waists, not daring to look up as Zed went directly for Zayenn.

Her frown eased, the soft wrinkles that formed on her face softening. Her eyes, which were usually filled with nothing but emptiness, sometimes accompanied by anger, were light and showed off a small glint of happiness.

''It's been a while since you've last time been here.'' she said, as Zed could feel the emotion in the back of her voice. He arched an eyebrow, was she happy he returned?

''League is a lot more time consuming than I originally expected it to be.'' he told her, as she hummed in response.

''I'm glad you're back.'' she told him sincerely, her eyes actually giving off a glint of happiness. Zed was inwardly taken aback by this, since when did she become so light-hearted?

Where was the unmoving woman that mercilessly killed her sister years ago?

Or well, attempted to.

Zed gave a small frown. ''There's something I'd like to talk with you about. Come to my office as soon as you can.'' he ordered her simply and she nodded, as he passed her and entered the Order.

Zayenn returned her attention towards the students, as she started barking out orders again, the still silence in the main yard being replaced by the usual shouts and clashing of weapons.

During the time he had in his office, Zed had been thinking how to approach and confront Zayenn with the mistakes she's done. However, as his string of thoughts kept going on and on, he realized something.

While Zed was aware of Akyo having been here undercover for the Kinkou, Zayenn never found out her identity, she only suspected the existence of the spy. He never told her anything either, although she had observed he had been a little on edge after he saw what he saw.

When questioned about it, he blamed it on the oncoming joining in the League. She believed him and stopped opening the subject.

Now, he knew if he were to tell her Akyo was alive and breathing, fighting in the League none the less, Zayenn might just go to a stupid limit to finish a job she started years ago. And considering the decision he had made back at the League, he was having none of it.

Thus, now he had to think of what to talk with Zayenn about, since he was no longer going to open the subject about her disobedience years ago. He then remembered her unusually good mood from before, and settled on questioning her about that.

There was knock on the door, and he told the person to come in. Zayenn closed the door slowly behind her, walking in front of Zed's desk. She looked at him expectantly.

''There was something you said you'd like to talk with me.'' she noted simply and Zed nodded.

''I wanted to know how things have been going in my absence.'' he paused, eyeing Zayenn curiously. ''And also wanted to know what put you into such a jovial mood.'' he finished and Zayenn actually showed off surprise. But, as fast as it appeared on her face, it disappeared.

''Nothing out of the ordinary happened while you were gone. The students behaved them just fine, not like they knew better to not anger me. We also have a bunch of new recruits who have heard of you thanks to the League, guess all this League stuff was a good thing after all.'' she paused and thought a little before continuing.

''I'll be honest with you, I've been feeling a little better lately, but I didn't think it would be so obvious, not so strong you'd call my mood 'jovial'.'' she told him and he just arched another eyebrow at her.

''It's unlike you to even show emotion in your voice. You yourself have told me years ago your heart had died.'' he told her simply and she looked to the side, visibly troubled.

''There are things that at one point in time, you may be sure of, but as time passes, it proves you wrong.'' she told him, and Zed felt deeply intrigued by this.

She became soft, a lot softer than he would ever expected her to be. What the heck happened to her?

The day passed without any other significant events. Zayenn had introduced the new recruits to Zed, and he had made sure they were fit for what they have signed up for. However, only time under her wing would prove if they indeed were or not.

As night fell down once more, Zayenn stretched her arms in order to relax her tensed muscles from over the day. She sighed, as she felt little relief, preparing herself for bed. She hesitated, however, as she felt slightly terrified by this very concept.

Now, she would question herself, how could she be so silly to be afraid to sleep? It wasn't like nightmares scared her anymore; she had gotten over them a long time ago. But lately, what she experienced weren't nightmares, nor lucid dreams, but something she could not comprehend and that slightly set her off.

Letting these useless thoughts aside, she let exhaustion take over her mind, as she yawned and finally plopped onto the bed. Relaxing, she told herself to not be a fool and be scared over stupid and small things like 'nightmares'. She listened to herself and fell asleep.

Time passed, as a distant clicking of a clock slowly disappeared into nothingness, and she was carried to another realm. She then felt powerful light coming out from behind her closed lids and she tried to block it away, but to not avail.

Opening her eyes, and blinking to get around the light, she observed a brown, wooden roof. The light that disturbed her sleep was coming from an open window on her right, as a soft gust of wind blew, moving the white silky curtains back and forth. She rose on her elbows and looked around the room confused.

This was her room before they attacked the Kinkou.

Next to her, she felt another presence shifting, and she looked down only to find a very younger version of herself waking up. Groggily yawning and trying to shake off any remnant of sleep, the girl jumped from the bed and moved towards the door, not even observing the much older person that has been sleeping next to it.

Zayenn felt confused.

Deciding that it was best to follow her younger self around, she jumped from the bed, only to have the door being slammed in her face. She heard voices and laughter from behind it, as she tried to grab at the knob. Her hand went right trough it and the door as she gasped silently.

Backing away with a few steps, she took a breath in and passed right trough the wooden structure, managing to pass the physical barrier. She then was welcomed to the sight of her old living room, with her mother bringing out food from the kitchen, and a young Akyo sitting at the table with a bright smile on her face.

''Took you a while to wake up, sleepy head!'' she told her cutely, keeping that large smile on her face. Zayenn looked around the room only to find her younger self gone. What was going on?!

''Now, Zayenn sweet heart, take a seat.'' she heart the sweet tone of her mother say, as she obeyed and went towards the table, observing it was a lot more taller than it should have. She sat on her chair, just in front of Akyo, as her younger sibling looked cutely at her.

''So, what do you want to do today? Mother said we can finally venture on the training grounds, and we can look at the other ninjas train. Isn't that cool?!'' she asked with excitement all obvious in her voice. Zayenn felt more confused than never.

Wasn't Akyo supposed to fear her, to hate her? Why was she acting so nice, like she hasn't beaten her to the bone every single day to their trial? Why was she acting so innocently?

Akyo frowned at her sibling's obvious discomfort. ''Zayenn-sis? You're alright? You look upset...'' she told her, a look of worry in her big blue eyes. Zayenn snapped out of her previous thoughts.

''N-No, I-I'm fine.'' she managed to get out; more surprised by the way Akyo addressed her. It's been years ever since she heard Akyo call her 'Zayenn-sis' , she stopped doing it when they started training, when she started getting out all that pent up anger out of her system.

''Are you sure dear, you do look a little pale.'' Keyan noted, approaching the very stiff girl and putting a hand on her forehead, all the while having a worried face. ''Zayenn, are you sure you're feeling fine? Is there anything that bothers you?'' she questioned, as Zayenn felt all the more suffocated.

''N-No. I... I need some fresh air.'' she said simply, jumping out of the chair and running past her mother towards the door. Her feet took her outside the Order, as she stopped and panted, trying to regain her breath from all the running.

She couldn't understand, she couldn't comprehend it.

Her mother had never showed her any kind of concern at all, she never asked her if she was fine, or, not with that tone or not addressing her that way. She was never touchy or showing obvious concern towards her, never.

She did it with Akyo only.

She was always showing obvious concern towards her; she always offered her a lot more love than she offered Zayenn, that's what she ever saw anyway. She always offered Akyo soft looks and talked with her in a motherly tone. Keyan never did any of these with Zayenn.

Never.

She had always been given the indifferent treatment. Of course, when obviously upset, Keyan would questioned Zayenn about what's wrong, but there was little to none warmth in her voice. Her face always remained indifferent, and not even once had she hugged her, nor been affectionate with her.

And Zayenn hated it.

With all her dead heart.

She didn't understand why Keyan would treat her so coldly and be all motherly and affectionate with Akyo. Why, what has she ever done wrong to make her mother look so displeased, to hate her so much?

She always wanted to be in her mother's good graces. She always wanted to be loved by her like Akyo was. Maybe at that point, her little young brain didn't realize it, but the deep seed of jealousy had already nested itself in her heart.

With time, it grew and grew and grew into a heavily thorned rose, which tore her apart from inside. And, just as she was being torn more and more, she kept questioning herself what could she ever do to make her mother love her. To make her mother proud.

And then she had been offered the chance.

The trial.

She heard a voice call her name, as she snapped out of her thoughts. Her jaw was clenched, as she turned around to see Akyo, huffing as she approached her. Her eyes were filled with worry, as she ran all the way to Zayenn.

''Zayenn-sis!'' she called, as she finally reached her. Zayenn looked impassively at her. ''W-What happened?'' she questioned.

''Nothing happened, why?'' she said, although she felt something weird in her voice. She observed how Akyo let out a hurt gasp, her blue eyes filling with tears that started going down her red cheeks.

Akyo's small hands held into Zayenn's shirt for dear life, as she looked up at her sibling with teary eyes.

_''You're crying.''_

Zayenn's own eyes widened, as she finally realized the presence of the watery warmth that went down her own cheeks. Blinking, she could not believe herself. She never cried, never.

Akyo tried to frown at her, all the while biting her bottom lip. ''You liar.''

''Huh?'' Zayenn questioned her, as Akyo shook her head, her brown bangs flailing around her head.

''How can you say that? Of course you cry, you've always been crying behind me and mother's back. You never wanted to show us your weaknesses, you never wanted to look weak in front of us.'' she said, as Zayenn simply looked at her younger sibling with wide eyes, dead silent.

''H-How do you know?'' she finally managed to ask out.

''You are only human Zayenn.'' this time, Keyan's voice resounded, as her tall form appeared in front of the two girls. Her face held traces of sadness among them, her black onyx irises swirling around with emotion.

Zayenn kept quiet, her brain trying to process what was going around her. Keyan sighed.

''You poor thing...'' she noted simply, regret obvious in her voice. ''If you'd only know the truth...'' she trailed off, looking to the side. Zayenn felt her temper slightly flare, as this entire emotional charade started to wear her off.

''What truth mother? What truth?! The truth that you hated me? That Akyo has always been your favorite?'' she choked on her own words, as she couldn't continue.

''Zayenn,'' Keyan began, kneeling and making Akyo move to the side, so she could put her hands on the girl's shoulders. ''There is a truth I have never told you, a truth I myself was afraid to admit. But this truth has died with me, and because I never found the courage to confront you, I almost lost both of my daughters.'' although Keyan's voice was straight and composed, there were tears that fell from her eyes every now and then. ''But one thing you must always remember, and from now on, never forget. That even though only the dead know the truth, I will do everything in my will to save both of you and Akyo from the horrible future that awaits the two of you.'' she said, as Zayenn felt herself go weak.

Her eyes closed, and everything that was previously going, was slowly dying away. As she felt herself fall deeper into a never ending darkness, she closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

With a loud gasp and a jolt, she suddenly raised in her bed, panting hard, trying to recover from what she previously experienced. Her heart was going into erratic beats, as she had a hard time comprehending what had transpired. She felt herself all sweaty, but she could've cared less now.

''W-What happened?'' she questioned, brining up a palm and putting it over one of her eyes, as she closed both of them and tried to recollect her thoughts. The moon was still in the sky, sign it was still night. Zayenn dropped back on her bed, trying to think about what she had just been trough.

This weren't dreams, they didn't felt like it. They weren't even nightmares, the ones she had up until this point were far more worst than this.

But they weren't memories either, so could they be visions? She scratched that immediately, she was back in the past, so they weren't visions either.

So then, was she hallucinating? Was this fate's way of punishing her for what she's done until now? Was karma finally getting back to her?

Was she **insane?**

She let out an amused scoff escape her lips, although she started shaking slightly. Going insane wouldn't really surprise her now, considering what she's become. Maybe Akyo's spirit was haunting her, making sure she was going to suffer just as much as she did.

Zayenn groaned, as she rose back again and moved her legs off the bed. She flinched at the contact they had with the cold floor, as she observed the idle snow outside her closed window once more.

Quickly taking some changing clothes and finding some slippers around the room, she exited it and went straight for the bathroom.

~(o-o)~

The next morning, her previous 'jovial' mood was completely gone, as she felt exhaustion set in her system. Coffee proved little to none help, as she felt a growing headache set up in her brain. Letting out another groan, she cursed her fate as she closed her eyes and massaged her temples in order to make it go away.

''You seem to be in a horrible shape Lady Zayenn.'' she heard a feminine voice say, as she opened one eye to look at the intruder.

The respective was one of the shadow ninjas, an excellent student in which Zayenn had taken a liking. She had a sharp tongue and was never afraid to speak her mind, although she has received sharp punishment from Zayenn plenty of times because of it. Still, she was stubborn, and didn't changed her way of being, simply accepting her punishment. Zayenn admired the girl's toughness, but she also pitied her stupidity.

''You don't say captain obvious. Don't you have other persons to bother, somebody else other than me?'' she asked, as the girl helped herself down, sitting right next to Zayenn.

Her indifferent grey irises regarded Zayenn for a while, before she spoke. ''It seems you have forgotten you are my favorite person in the world to annoy. Nobody else hits like you, I must admit.'' Zayenn scoffed.

''Never considered you a masochist.'' she noted, as she took a gulp of coffee. The girl shrugged.

''It's important to learn something new everyday.'' she noted simply, as Zayenn already felt herself ticked off by the girl. Her nonchalance annoyed the bullcrap out of her.

''For what reason, other than having me beat you into a pulp again, have you come all the way here? I'm not really in the mood today, and you might just sign yourself for your execution.'' Zayenn warned, venom dripping from her words. The girl next to her wasn't affected by it.

''I believe in reincarnation, so I have no problem if you feel the need to cut my head.'' she once again said, her voice flat, as Zayenn let an audible growl.

''Tell me what the hell you want already.'' she growled, glaring at the girl. She returned the glare, although it wasn't just as heated.

''Well if you'd stop being a bitch, I might just do that.'' she said, as Zayenn gave her a weak glare, before sighing.

''Go on.'' she motioned, while she took another lazy sip out of her cup. The ninja student next to her eyed her for a while before speaking.

''You had another one of those dreams, haven't you?'' she questioned, as Zayenn nodded weakly. The student sighed. ''They do badly for your health, and you not telling anyone won't help out either.''

Zayenn rolled her eyes. ''Well I'm telling you about them, so I guess you got one point right.'' she mumbled, but the student caught it.

''Tell somebody that could do something about them. Like Master Zed.'' she said, as Zayenn gave her an odd glare.

''The last of persons that needs to find out about these weird dreams is Zed. He would most-likely just think I'm starting to go insane.'' she said, as the student looked thoughtful.

''Have you ever thought why you are having these nightmares?'' she questioned, and Zayenn's face blanked.

''No, I just let them eat away at my mind, not giving a single damn about what the hell causes them, because I actually enjoy the crap out of them and I have no problem if I lose sleep and look like a zombie the following day. Does that answer your question?'' she said, sarcasm obvious in her voice. The student was little to none impressed.

''And I thought I was the masochistic one?'' she asked, as Zayenn gave up in trying to have a conversation and resumed at drinking her coffee.

''What are they about?'' the student girl asked after a prolonged silence, as Zayenn narrowed her eyes in thought.

''Can't remember them in detail, but I know they are about my family.'' she responded.

''What was your family formed of?'' she questioned as Zayenn glared.

''That's none of your business.'' she called, as the girl dead panned.

''You want me to help you out or not?'' she questioned as Zayenn sighed once more.

''Okay, fine. I had a mother and a younger sister. We never knew anything about our father, and sincerely, I don't want to ever see his face. He's a coward for leaving his family.'' she said, as she felt her anger rise.

''Alright, where's your mother?''

''She died years ago, when I was fifteen or so.'' Zayenn said nonchalantly. The student girl felt herself uneasy.

''And your sister?'' she questioned, as she observed Zayenn hesitate for a moment.

''I killed her when we invaded the Kinkou Order a few years ago.'' she said, as the student girl looked slightly confused.

''Why?'' she questioned, as Zayenn heaved a sigh.

''Because I was sent with orders to persuade her into joining the Shadow Order. However, being the Kinkou dog she was, she refused and attacked me, and I defended myself.'' she lied briefly, as the student girl probed no further.

''Don't you feel guilty?'' she asked, as Zayenn boringly looked at her.

''No.'' she said again, although she knew it was some sort of a lie. She felt slightly guilty.

Slightly.

''Maybe you shouldn't have killed her.'' the student girl then said, as Zayenn shot her a heated glare.

''Maybe you shouldn't say things that risk your life.'' she snapped, as the student girl simply blinked.

''Lady Zayenn, you two were sisters, and orphans for a time that is. Even though your sister was part of a different Order, you could have incapacitated her, not kill her." the student girl said briefly, as Zayenn listened. ''Maybe you don't realize it, but you feel guilty about the fact you killed your sister, because you knew she wouldn't kill you if she had the chance.''

Zayenn let that sink in, as she thought about it. Would Akyo have killed her in the past if she would have been given the chance?

The immediate answer was maybe.

But then she remembered the day of trial, and how it unfolded. Surely, she had been taken aback by Akyo's radical change, but what was important was when she had herself pinned down by her. She had the staff pointed at her neck, she could've killed her if she so desired.

But she was still breathing, so that talks for itself.

''How'd you known?'' she questioned the student girl who shrugged once more.

''Intuition. I'll have to remember you that Kinkous do not kill without a reason. That's the base of their behavior.'' the student girl noted as Zayenn glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes.

Sighing again, she turned her attention on the cup of coffee once more, the brownish liquid swirling around inside the white cup. Her thoughts were conflicted, she really didn't knew if she truly knew herself anymore.

Years prior to this, she hasn't been disturbed by Akyo's death at her hands not even in the slightest. She was dead set on her hatred against her. Why did she regret it now?

''It's too late to cry over spilt milk.'' she told the student ninja absent mindedly, as the girl nodded her head in agreement.

**AN: TALIHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.**

**It's Sunday, and it's update time, yay~**

**Hey, I kept on the schedule, so be proud.**

**Although I will be honest with you guys, this entire chapter has been written TODAY. Like, it was 7 pm when deadline panic kicked in and I went all Sanic into this and wrote it.**

**BUT I UPDATED SO IT'S KAY.**

**This chapter focuses a lot more on Zayenn, and I plan to give her more character development. I feel like the Zayenn I've been described until now is too shallow, and I didn't wanted her to be that way.**

**So expect a lot of feels.**

**I actually got reviews for last chapter. ARE YOU ENTERTAINED? ****ヽ**༼ ಠ**益**ಠ ༽**ﾉ**

**SpiritValentine: BABU! ****LEMME HUG YOU *bear hug*. Amg, I'm so glad I haven't lost you; I literally fan girled when I saw your review. Sorry, no shipping this character, but I promise you'll love me when I finish this, so be prepared ;3.**

**pedrokotii: No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. I'm glad, I didn't disappoint you with the chapter, hope you like this one as well. And no need to apologize, I really understand if people felt disappointed or sad cause I stopped updating, because I have been trough it as well, so again, no need to say sorry ^^.**

**Balthamel: Amg, don't die. Now police is going to look for me and charge me for murder D: .Only after I posted the chapter I observed fucked up the link. GODDAMN IT. Glad you searched it and found it, I find the skin idea hilarious. RITO PLS ****ヽ**༼ ಠ**益**ಠ ༽**ﾉ****.**** Don't worry, the word quoting exists, and tower dives are always worth ****ヽ****(⌐■_■)****ノ ****.**

**Canthandlemyswag: Why you do this? Why you hate me ;_; ?**

**Sabrine321: Awe, here have some tissues. No chapters like this one for a short while, but I SHALL BRING BACK THE FLUFFINESS... Soon. And awwww, I had planned a stuff and all for a lemony pie :c .**

**Disdun: Yay, somebody likes my fan made character *can die happily*. Rito pls make Akyo cannon and give her a Santa costume huehuehuehuehuehuehuehue.**

**Coski: I'll keep it Coski for the good ol' days. I see somebody is experiencing massive fan girling *smug ass grin* I think I'm done here. Well, the scene with Akyo's momma was supposed to teary and stuff, I blame it on the music. And Ryo is an attractive bastard because I need somebody to make Zed jelly no? I think I pulled that off quite well too.**

**Infectedotter43: Woo, you wanted to set my booty on fire *runs*. Hope you have changed your thoughts about that though, lol. Meh, I seriously have received a very negative responds towards Ryo's adventures in this chapter from some friends. One of them really wants the boy to die XD. And ufufu, you caught me... Maybe I will write a lemony pie in daa future~**

**liane77: A new name, yay :D! I'm glad I'm back too, I missed y'all ;_;! Hugs are hugs, but hey, it's still all fluffy and cute o/o. Even though I'll try to keep things a little serious, FLUFINESS SHALL BE BACK.**

**And now let's hope I'll update next week as well and history won't repeat itself. Alright, I'm logging off. Ƶƶ(****—****)**


	13. Chapter 13: Who am I?

There is light in Darkness chapter 12

In a still silence, the only disturbing noise being the annoying constant ticking of a clock, a cold Institute apartment looked almost empty as no sounds or no sign of living could be seen. In the bedroom however, you would notice a sleeping figure, as her curled form underneath the sheet communicated she really felt the biting cold outside the comfort of her own bed.

For a while, she just sat on one side, her breaths barely audible, even in the almost perfect silence. Then, she opened her icy irises and blinked the sleep away from her eyes. Yawning and stretching underneath her blankets, the figure sighed, as she lay on her bed staring at her roof.

And then, she let a sly grin spread across her face.

She really didn't expect this Snow Down to come with any gifts, but she really wasn't complaining. She received not something material and grand, like many others would wish. No, what she had long desired for was something more than just a simple wrapped up box.

A friendship.

A friendship she had thought it had died long time ago, a friendship which has been broken by common mistakes, stubbornness and denials. Truthfully, along with the death of this friendship, they had taken different paths.

She followed the one she was sworn to. He picked his own.

She has followed the path of the balance. He took the one to power.

She protected the fragile equilibrium of the world. He sought out to destroy it.

Such opposed paths would never lead the two walkers to meet in anything but a heated clash of weapons in a fight. It was against logic, why would two people of such opposed factions ever want to be anything more or less than enemies?

Akyo chuckled. ''Guess were weirder than I originally thought.'' she mumbled absentmindedly.

She was still going over what has happened the other night. Things started off tenser than she would've liked, but Zed seemed a little too relaxed. Yet, she didn't say a word. She didn't wanted to ruin her chances of setting things straight once and for all.

And perseverance surely is a path towards victory. She had a rough start in her attempt at apologizing, she wouldn't have expected it. Yet, she found it so hard to let the words flow and look at him in the same time.

Maybe it was the fact he finally looked at her, anger no longer present in his eyes. That anger being directed towards her. Maybe it was the fact that she took so long to realize she made her own set of mistakes, and she felt stupid for taking her god damn time in apologizing.

But none the less, she apologized to him in the end, right?

And what he told her back was as surprising as her apology.

Her brows furrowed at the thought, her eyes looking tensely at her roof. Unconsciously, her body tightened underneath the blankets, as she went over what Zed told her last night for the thousandth time.

_"...My next following task was to make you join me...''_

While she knew she would have as kindly as she could deny Zed's offer; because of obvious reasons, it still made her a little fuzzy inside, thinking that even after letting him in the air after the trial, he would still want her to fight on his side, rather than against her.

This wasn't a matter of power; he always had the upper hand in combat against her. She managed against him just fine, but she rarely caught any significant hits on him, and that was when they were kids. If she were to consider the power gap between them now, he could have her on her knees in less than a few seconds.

It was just like back in the days when the tribe existed. The Grand Shadow Master was respected by all, none dared to raise a finger against his will. All the other Shadow Borns, no matter how skilled or good they were in combat, they couldn't even compare to the Master's power, and he always held back, for the sake of his tribe.

''Master of Shadows huh...'' she mumbled again, as her thoughtful gaze was kept on a single point on the almost perfect surface of the roof.

After Zed opened the box and almost killed Shen, Akyo knew something had gone terribly wrong with him. Her mother would have always told her stories about the corrupting power of the shadows, and just how much will and a strong mind one would need to maintain them under control.

But she went to master Youken for answers, and even now she remembered how he reacted. The old man gave a sigh and told her to take a seat. Then, he started telling her that a person with a weak will and a weak mind will easily fall under the control of a darkening power. To control them, firstly you had to put faith in yourself and secondly in those around you, that was why the Shadow Born tribe had an easy time controlling the shadows.

They were strong and united, bounded by trust and love. A small and yet big family that has mastered one of the greatest and most dangerous type of magic and arts existent on Valoran, with simple principles.

_'Being egoist is also an advantage when attempting to take up on such a power. Truthfully, it's a dangerous wager, but it is the faith you have in your own strengths that offers you primer advantage against such corrupting essences.' Master Youken explained to her._

_Of course, she was young at that point, young and clueless. She questioned him why she had the power to control them after all. She had little to none faith in herself, let alone in somebody else._

_The Master looked wearily at her._

_'The human body adapts, that's how we have survived for years. But I do not think that has applied in your people's case. Sure, you have most that likely built resistance to the shadows, they will have a harder time getting their hands on your mind that anybody else's, but there is something else connected to you and your sister Akyo.'_

_'You two are direct descendants of the Grand Shadow Master. While his direct power has long been sealed, until now, his strength and magical essence as a person has been passed from generation to generation, although it's still a mystery on how it works.'_

_She was confused, and he knew it. She couldn't understand all the information she was offered then, so Master Youken tried another tactic._

_'Akyo, I may not be in the place to say this, but since your mother is no longer here, I think you at least should know of this.' he took a pause 'You and Zayenn are the same as your mother in her childhood. She had a twin brother, and unfortunately, it was a first for the Order. Before, there was only one children born in the Shadow Born family, and truthfully, the master at the time was thoughtful about the situation at hand.'_

_'Your mother... Had passed trough horrible dark times. We had to find out one way or another which one of them has inherited the 'dark blood' as we call it. IT has been a horrible experience, for both your mother and her brother, but in the end we have found a solution for our problem.'_

_A question that lingered on her mind was where was her uncle now? She could use a little familiar support. She asked the Master, and he kept a straight face._

_'He died.'_

_It says curiosity killed the cat. For Akyo, it was the other way around, as she felt her heart drop at the announcement. From that point on, she no longer asked any questions about her family's tree-line's history. She's had enough of it._

_"...I had given Zayenn precise instructions to not lay a single finger on you..."_

Now that put her mind to work a bit, as she found this precise phrase intriguing. She knew Zed said less than it was truly on his mind, and he had no problem whatsoever in lying. Thankfully, she could say when he lied or not, but not all the time.

He seemed sincere about it, so what were his reasons after all?

Why would he need her in perfect shape, even though what was going on during that time was a mini war. He most likely knew just how much force Zayenn could put into one hit, even if she held back.

So he told her that specifically to underline the fact that she might hit harder than she expects, so she should be careful in her combat approach? Well this was the most logical explanation she could come up with, if she didn't involve other thoughts in it.

'Would it be because at that point in time his anger had died down a bit, and he maybe, just maybe thought... No. It can't be it. He must've remembered what happened the day he opened the box. Had not Master Youken intervened, I might've been dead.'

But still, she knew, corrupted as he was back then, he wouldn't have hurt her... Would he?

Now came up another problem she's been thinking off. Zed seemed normal, he seemed like the person Akyo once knew. Of course, the night he opened the box, he was totally different.

His eyes were black, his crimson pupils contrasting with the thick color. A smoke-like in texture was emanating from his eyes, and it scared her. His very glance, the simple feeling of those irises set on her form gave her chills, because she could feel them, she could hear them.

At that point, during the extreme tense situation, her brain had already catalogued him as corrupted beyond redemption. Her friend was gone, this was only an empty shell inhabited by the dark monsters in her mind and under her bed.

Monsters she was still afraid off.

She might've been wrong at that point. Maybe the box was still in his possession or Zayenn's, and that's why they gave off horrifying vibes to her. While she was in his presence, on the Rift or anywhere else, Akyo didn't feel that dangerous black vibe from him. Even Zayenn's ones were not as strong.

She knew from her mother, that once the shadows have corrupted a body, the person's soul that previously inhabited the body is basically 'eaten' and disappears. It's memories, it's very essence, and everything is gone.

Zed still remembered everything, he retained his irking and sometimes almost impossible to deal with personality. He was still the same stubborn, indifferent, easy to anger little boy she knew years ago. And she was glad he retained his control over his own body and had managed to fight the shadows without any exterior help.

That again reminded her of the big gap that was between them. This sudden gap's presence started to make small seeds of fear bloom in her heart. Her old anxieties were coming back. He was strong, so strong on his own. He built an Order and destroyed another. He confronted a dark concentrated magic, and he won. He was feared not only in Ionian lands, but even behind its frontiers. He became a legend, his very title being the one that raised awareness and struck people's hearts with fear when they heard it.

'The Master of Shadows...'

And how was she? She was a sorry excuse of the last remnant of what her tribe had originally been. She had little to none amazing capabilities; she couldn't even score a tie with Zed, although she was a Shadow Born. Her very existence, her very core should allow her to have the finest of controls over one of the darkest powers existent.

And yet, she was still scared of them. Even Nocturne taunted her about it, she hasn't forgotten it yet.

She remembered how his blue-ish demonic eyes sparked with existent amusement, as what sounded of a scoff left his ghastly throat.

_'That's what intrigues me at you. You say darkness is your home, yet your 'home' is your greatest fear.' _he taunted her, and even now she felt herself uneasy.

She was bluffing then, but not entirely. Truly, she found it peaceful sometimes, being alone in the darkness with nobody else to bother you, just you alone with your thoughts. Yet, while this peace made her feel at ease, on the other side she was always on guard, knowing that everywhere in the darkness, there are eyes and ears. They are whispering and waiting, waiting for the perfect chance to pounce on you and eat away at you.

How was she supposed to control something she was terrified of?

She frowned, her eyes narrowing, as she thought about one of the champions that while sending alarms in her brain, its very presence annoyed Akyo out of her mind. A demon that she desired nothing more but to hear that screech of pain he makes rip trough the air, just to wipe that arrogant personality it has.

''Nocturne...'' she said, her name drifting off into silence as if the very walls were afraid of his name.

''Who exactly are you? And why do you know so much about me...'' she questioned aloud, as her mind started examining this intriguing creature. She started doing some research on him, with a little help from Summoner Kaleyn. Truthfully, she found some catchy things about him, which might've explained why he knew so much.

His background story said that a Field Architect had passed out next to a nexus structure crying out in pain once. After a magical energy arched out from the nexus, Nocturne appeared, as he started going on slaughtering rampage before summoners were able to confine him.

_'My parents were there when this fiasco happened. They are studying this magic, 'the shadows' and how they work, that's what brought them together after all. Their knowledge in the subject proved handy, as they managed to subjugate Nocturne with the help of some other summoners.' Kaleyn explained gently when Akyo finished reading Nocturne's back story._

_So in essence he was a shadow, since the girl's parents were studying the magic, and they were able to restrict the bloodthirsty appearance with skills obtained from the respective subject. Then she thought about the architect, and how event have unfolded since his sudden death occurred._

_'He was possessed.' she told the summoner girl who looked at Akyo with a weary stare. 'The architect might have been corrupted one way or another by Nocturne when he was a simple tendril. This also might imply he was originally part of the shadows inside the cursed box, but how he escaped, is beyond my knowledge.'_

_The reports of summoners having their sleep affected during the time before Nocturne's creation backed up the summoners' theory about Nocturne's way of attack. When the summoners bound him to a different Nexus fragment, finally trapping him in the physical world, it was clear that his days as a simple shadow were over, he had what represented a body now._

_'Maybe that was his purpose after all... His intention in approaching the nexus was clear; he knew magic could empower him beyond anybody's control. Thankfully, he has been restrained, but even so, now that he has been given a body, otherwise that simply entering a persons mind and destroying them from the inside, he has been given the capability of slaughtering directly, of ripping flesh.' she took a pause, looking at the summoner girl 'Do you really think this was a great choice, for the summoners that were there then to take?' she questioned._

_The girl looked to the side. 'Had they not bound him to the nexus fragment, things might have become a lot worse. His disadvantage at having a body is what makes jobs easier for all of us. Since he is connected by magic to the fragment, he cannot return to his former form as a vengeful spirit, slaughtering even more people in a shorter span of time. He is a lot easier to control because of his physical prison, this is what allows us to summon him on the field.' the girl paused but then her face illuminated. 'You said he was a tendril, a fragment of the mass of shadows that reside inside the cursed box. Are you sure you can confirm that statement of yours with proof? If this is indeed true, then you might have helped the League solve a great problem we've been dealing with for some time.'_

_Akyo looked at the ground in thought. 'I'm not quite sure about my statement either, this is a theory I've came up with. He more than definitely is a shadow, since you said your parents had captured him using knowledge from the respective domain, but I can't guarantee he was a part of the cursed box.' she trailed off, thinking. 'Even so, that would explain why he knows so much...' she almost but mumbled, but the summoner caught it._

_'What does he know?' she asked, as Akyo looked at her for a while, before thinking whether she should this or not._

_'Nocturne has a lot of knowledge about me, he even knows who I am in essence, although the information he has is a lot more personal that I would like to admit.' Akyo explained, as the summoner's eyes widened in horror. Akyo caught her sudden change and felt fear wash trough her._

_'N-No way...' the summoner girl mumbled, as Akyo looked at her in curiosity._

_'What is it?' she questioned as the girl grabbed her by the arms._

_'There are multiple theories about Nocturne's place of birth, the most terrifying one we've came up with being the following : Nocturne is the embodiment of a nightmare, that has came to life thanks to the magical energy present in the nexus. This seemed to me the most plausible one, but I had a hard time finding the most crucial person in all of this.' she stopped, making sure Akyo was following._

_'Who is this person?' she questioned._

_'The dreamer.' the summoner girl answered curtly, as Akyo looked at her slightly confused._

_'If Nocturne truly is somebody's nightmare that came to life using magic, you have to ask yourself who is his dreamer? Who gave him shape and form? Who's fear Nocturne is?' she said, as Akyo felt her own eyes widen._

_She can't possibly mean..._

_Oh. God. __**No.**_

_'You think I am the dreamer.' Akyo questioned the summoner, as her hold tightened._

_'I-I would like to not be rash in my assumptions, but I might have narrowed things down. You have a high chance of being the dreamer, but there are multiple possibilities you are not. But thanks to you, I might have figured out how to avoid a horrible chain of events!' she exclaimed, happiness evident in her voice. However, she paled slightly, looking like she regretted getting those words out._

_'Horrible chain of events?' Akyo questioned, intrigued at the girl's sudden change. She let go of Akyo and put an uneasy smile on her face._

_'I-It's nothing important, really.' she batted off Akyo's arched eyebrow. As Akyo was about to argue with that, the summoner girl looked to the most nearby watch she could find. 'Oh, look at how late it is. Library is closed, see you tomorrow Lady Akyo. Have a nice sleep!' and with this, she basically threw Akyo out of the League's library without any explanation._

In the present, Akyo sighed at the memory, thinking about the summoner's weird behavior. She wondered what could have caused it, and most importantly: What was this 'horrible chain of events' that she was talking about.

Looking at the clock next to her bed, she observed it was already late in the morning, as she decided it was about time to get up. There was warmth in the room, albeit the freezing atmosphere that was outside.

She decided to go a give the cafeteria a visit, since she heard that the chefs actually make good food during major events, not to mention they will be serving the season's specifically type of food. And candies.

So, just like that, she found herself on the cold hallways of the Institute on her way to the cafeteria, just about ten minutes after she got up from her bed. She had long and thicker pants than usual, to protect her from the cold. Simple, leather, black boots were in her feet, as her torso was covered in a simple hoodie.

A much more, _particular _hoodie, if we're being honest.

Her first thought was to give Zed his hoodie back, and also thank him for giving it to her in the first place. However, when she knocked to his door and nobody answered, she remembered he said he wanted to visit his order today, so she just sighed and went on her way towards the cafeteria.

Even if it was a slightly one size larger than what she usually wore, it did gave her a comfy and warm feeling. She had braided her long brown her on one side, as it fell gently from her shoulder almost to her left hip. She had decided to put the hood on her head as well, as she padded down the empty hallways.

She had heard people were much more casual during holidays, and today was no exception. On her way to the cafeteria, she had caught glance of many other champions dressed casually and for winter. She never thought she would see Darius or Garen dressed in something else other than their armor.

One of her hands got out of her pockets as it stretched forward to open the door of the cafeteria. The smell of gingerbread, cinnamon and vanilla immediately hit her nose, as she felt her stomach protest at the new, lovely scents.

The cafeteria was buzzing with champions and summoners, as everybody enjoyed a well deserved day-off, with good food and delicious deserts. Akyo went to the glass case and inspect what she could pick up for breakfast from there.

A few minutes later, she found herself a nice, quiet table, as she had in front of her on her Snow Down decorated tray, a steaming mug of hot chocolate and different warm gingerbread figurines. She was about to take a bite out of one of the gingerbread figurines, when she felt somebody suddenly land on her right and catch her in something akin to a bear hug.

''Akyo darling~'' Ahri chanted, as Akyo made protests against Ahri's inhumane hug.

''A-ri, c-nt bre-th.'' she managed to get out, as the fox sheepishly let go of her. She giggled and gave the girl an apologetic look.

She was dressed in her midnight outfit, as she deemed it the most fit for such a weather. Akyo gave her one last frown and sighed, grabbing her beloved mug between her hands and bringing it to her lips, taking a sip.

''Didn't though you'd be up so early, Ahri. Didn't you stayed up all night last night?'' Akyo questioned as the fox started thinking.

''Well I did stay up for a great part of the show, but I left somewhere during the middle. I didn't see you around though, where have you been?'' Ahri questioned, as a soft blush covered Akyo's cheeks and she sighed.

''I've been handing out flyers for the show during the day on the Rift.'' she took a small pause, and Ahri interrupted her.

''I saw that. I must admit sweetheart, you have more charm that you think you have. You were attracting boys like a magnet.'' Ahri 'complimented' as Akyo's blush became fiercer.

''If I would've at least attracted the right one...'' she mumbled with the mug next to her lips, before she decided on taking a long sip. Ahri gave a sly grin, as she had caught the girl's little hopeful mumble.

''Don't worry Akyo; Zed was also very 'entranced' by your appearance yesterday, during your time handing out flyers.'' Ahri cooed and she bit her tongue.

Akyo almost chocked on the hot chocolate, as she put the mug down before letting out a few coughs. After she recovered, she looked at Ahri, her cheeks a homogenous red.

''I beg your pardon?!'' she said and Ahri giggled again.

''Now, now, honey, let's not go into gossip territory.'' Ahri said, as Akyo was about to protest. However, she was cut short, as two other figures passed by and decided to sit at the table, face to face with Akyo and Ahri.

''I heard the word gossip and couldn't stay away. What's up?'' Miss Fortune said simply as she gave the girls a confident smile, a mischievous spark in her eyes. Next to her, Luxanna Crownguard was seated, with an excited smile on her face.

Akyo was about to try and defuse this bomb before it exploded, but Ahri beat her to it.

''Oh nothing too major, Sarah dear. Akyo right here was a little disappointed a certain someone hasn't noticed her in a very 'interesting' outfit yesterday, and I was raising her morale.'' Ahri explained, as Miss Fortune became obviously intrigued by this.

Akyo tried to back in the darkness of the hood, already looking for the nearest escape route. While a lingering familiar smell that surrounded the hood, Zed's scent, offered her slight relief, she was pretty sure she wasn't getting out of this anytime soon.

''If I recall correctly you were in Mrs. Claus costume and handing out flyers for the Snow Down concert, right?'' Lux asked and Akyo gave an uneasy nod, the pink ever present on her cheeks. She cursed inwardly, wishing she wouldn't have gotten out of bed today.

''Oh~ that sounds about 'interesting' then. Who was this special someone you wanted to notice you?'' Sarah Fortune asked, and Akyo shook her head rapidly.

''N-Nobody really, Ahri's just seeing things!'' Akyo exclaimed, in an attempt to stop the conversation, as she tried covering Ahri's mouth, to no avail. The fox was stronger than her.

''Oh really?'' the fox asked, as she looked at Akyo with a raised eyebrow, and then leaned in and gave a few sniffs at her hoodie. Akyo let out a quiet gasp, already feeling anxiety flow trough her like water, her knees turning into jelly down the table.

After a while, Ahri backed out and gave another sly grin, even going as far as to bite her tongue against her soft giggles. Akyo gave her a pleading look, even whispered please to her, but the fox gave off a shrug with a smug grin, and Akyo knew she could very well just change names and move some place far away.

''I must admit Akyo, this hoodie looks pretty good on you. Though, I want to ask, why it has Zed's scent all over it?'' Ahri questioned, and Akyo simply face palmed. With both hands.

Miss Fortune's eyes widened slightly, a small, intrigued 'oh' leaving her lips. Lux had an expression of utter surprise on her face; she went even as far as to cover her mouth. Ahri still had her smug face, and Akyo was simply covering her face with her hands, cowering before the three observing stares.

Observing the amazing dissonance between emotions, Sona has also joined the table by now, sitting next to Akyo and putting a soft reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. Akyo sighed and let her hands fall, as her face became pissed.

''Last night it was cold outside the Institute and he gave it to me because I was in that ridiculous outfit, so I wouldn't catch a cold.'' she explained, as this raised various reactions from the table.

Lux gave a cute 'Oh~' as she smiled and clasped her hands together, Ahri mimicking her, while also hugging Akyo - a lot more gently this time- again, and Sona gave the girl a genuine smile.

''That's really cute.'' Miss Fortune noted, and Akyo groaned.

''It was a friendly gesture. What's so cute about it?!'' she asked, as Ahri gave a dead pan and arched an eyebrow.

''The fact that you're still wearing it now.'' she noted and Akyo gave a soft groan again, covering her eyes with her right hand. Ahri just clicked her tongue and continued. ''C'mon sweetheart, there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's adorable to see two people like you; so reserved and serious and always straight to the point and all, get all lovey-dovey with each other.''

Akyo gave up in trying to change the discussion and resumed at just hitting her head on the table and letting it there, not even bothering to interrupt Ahri while she chatted away with Lux and Sarah Fortune, the three visibly into this new, juicy gossip.

Sona gave an uneasy smile, as she patted Akyo's depressed back and the girl didn't even shift. The mute muse looked at her gave inwardly sighed, wishing she could have helped her somehow. The point is, even as much as she wanted to spare the girl out of her embarrassment, she also wanted to see these two ninjas who were in heavy denial get over awkwardness and say the truth as it is.

While Ahri was laughing and giggling away with Lux and Miss Fortune, Akyo had decided that having her head on the table wasn't a very comfortable position, so she rose back to a normal one. She was absent to the chatter, her eyes unfocused, while that small tinge of pink still visible on her cheeks.

The entire talk around her was a simple buzz, as she gave an almost invisible chuckle and ducked even deeper in the comfort of the hoodie, bringing it up to cover her mouth. The corners of her lips went up in the form of a smile, as she inhaled the soothing and calming scent, as she found herself in the weirdest situation she would've ever asked for.

It wasn't like she was fighting it anymore. And now, since things seemed to go for the better, she stopped arguing with herself.

**I love you, **she thought simply, while the image of a certain annoying brown-head appeared in her mind.

**AN: what is this?**

**It's the 3rd week and I'm keeping up with the updating schedule o.o**

**WELL, I'M EXPECTING PRAISE, CUZ THIS IS A FIRST.**

**Also, hi ^^''**

**Balthamel: Glad you're fine brah ^^. I would've missed your reviews if life pulled you away :/ . And also, you're Mario? O_O Holy shizzle.**

**Well, you imagine, Zed is pretty angry, but let's face it. In his mind right now, Akyo comes first e_e . And I'm glad the Zayenn focus took you by surprise, it means the chapter made it's job :D . Oh don't you worry, I have planned out everything for the story, I even wrote it down to remember everything I want to do *cough cough* *hints hints* c_c**

**Disdun: Aw come on, are you serious. 'When'? I originally wanted to post a spoiler here, but I re-though about it in the last minute. NO SPOILERS FOR YOU! = : [**

**MrStabyB11: Omg, another new name o_O . Idk if leaving you tired is flattering or worrying for me. Usually I get tired after reading fics because I'm dead set in finding out what happens, so I guess this is good? XD. You are actually, the first reader to like Zayenn, I'm the author, so I don't count :c . However, Since I finally planned this entire thing out, I promise Zayenn will receive some love in the end, and by the time this is over, people will at least accept her ( I'll also make sure to redirect the entire hate towards Ryo lol *v* )**

**Littleflower54276408: Oh, so you are into Fairy Tail huh... Don't be afraid to join the dark side little flower, we have hardcore shipping, funny adventures and cookies *evil look*. That aside, I usually read my chapters from the phone after I upload them to check for mistakes that might've passed my grammar check. And. I. Face palmed. Hard.**

**GODDAMN IT GRAMMAR CHECK. YOU HAD ONE JOB.**

**Also, your helmet... C-Can we negotiate about that? I'll draw you a Battle Bunny Akyo if you want... *major noises of protest from Akyo, not so major noises of protest whatsoever from Zed***

**D-Don't you think we're being a little too rash here? I mean, considering Ashe's ''arrows'' Zed might not survive the hit... Ohohoho, I'm not even halfway done with Ahri, she just offers me so many possibilities to embarrass both of them and coax them into confessing, ty Rito for creating her.**

**Welp, on dA there are some pretty neat pictures with a mask less Zed (especially the young ones just have my ovaries do back flips *.*'' ) . I'm sorry you had to go trough despair, but heey, they made up in the end T_T.**

**Well, about kissing... Yeah, I'm actually preparing a bunker ya know? I wrote a plan for the story and kissing is... Erm... Yeah *goes and puts on apocalypse suit* it's going to happen, that's all I'm saying.**

***Xperya looks at littleflower preparing to torture Ryo. He gives her a pleading look, but she sighs "Just don't kill him, I still need him alive for a couple of chapters.''The author says before exiting the room.***

**littleflower54276408 #2: Of course he wants to protect her. What kind of future husbando would he be? *ooops spoilers***

**And come the heck on; stop it with the Ryo torture ideas srsly XD. The poor boy did nothing -yet- and he's -still- innocent. Just look at his puppy face *Ryo making a kawaii puppy face*. See? He's adorable x_X**

**pedrokotii: Yay. Thanks for the review... The End.**

**Now onto the actual answer: I know her skill set takes a lot from Zed's, that's why I'm not making any hopes XD. I made this intentionally (not cause I'm lazy as heck, no) since they to take from the same resource. Akyo had these techniques be passed from her family from generation to generation, although they are a lot more simple and less effective, while Zed... Yeah.**

**Guest: I-I wouldn't be that r-rash about it ^^''' . But still, the compliment is appreciated ;_;**

**Infectedotter43: I'm not surprised either, but sheesh, don't they wish him a painful death c_c . My muse is awfully quiet sometimes, and she's very loud during week-ends. This is the second time I write 70-80%-ish of the chapter today -v- '' .**

**Canthandlemyswag: It's clear. You're more than surely angry at me and now you're torturing me... Guess I deserve it... So then... BRING IT! (Actually no pls no, no more Taric I need sleep ;_; )**

**Coski: Telling me? They keep coming; poor boy is hiding now XD. As I said, she seemed too shallow to me, considering at first, I just needed an antagonist, the story was just a simple unfolding of events in my mind. But a long period of time has passed since then, and I have re-imagined their relationship. When I'll finally post updated chapters for TSOHM, you will see that these two actually had a cute sibling relationship when they were young, Akyo loved Zayenn a lot and looked up to her. But yeah, shit happens...**

**lianne77: That was my intention with showing this side of her. We will see more of the human behind that hardcore shell as the story progresses, and I do hope she will redeem herself in my readers' eyes. Yes, she and Akyo will meet again in the future, but it might not be the meeting you guys think about. I'll just let that sink in...**

**ALRIGHT. So, 3rd time's the charm, hope this chapter pleased y'all. I have also treated a few subjects I have forgotten to talk about in this chapter, so let's see how thing will continue from now on. Questions as they follow:**

**Is really Akyo the dreamer? Is she the one who gave Nocturne form and shape?**

**Why do my summoner's parents have knowledge in a lost magic?**

**What were Zed's underlying motives in his orders for Zayenn? Will Akyo figure them out,**_** in time?**_

**And just what is Ahri trying to do?**

**All of these will be answered...**

**...**

**..**

**.**

**Sometime in the future chapters...**

**I'm out before anyone kills me...**


	14. Chapter 14: Around the Institute

There is Light in Darkness chapter 13

Her footsteps didn't had that hollow echo as she passed down the frozen hallways, mainly because now the Institute had come to life and champions and summoners have awoken from their sleep. That lively buzz that usually filled the main body of the Institute was present, as she kept on her way down the hallway.

Somehow, someway, she had managed to escape from Ahri's death grasp while she was busy chatting away with Sarah Fortune and Lux. Stealthily making her way out of the cafeteria, Akyo was trying her best to keep on an at least indifferent face.

You know those times in your life when you feel so embarrassed you want the ground to eat you whole? Well, multiply that by an infinite amount of awkwardness and you will find the emotion that filled Akyo's entire being now.

Embarrassment was nothing but an ant, compared to the amount of shame she felt right now. She knew the last of persons that needed to know about 'this' was Ahri, but she was going to find out anyway, whether Akyo liked it or not.

She wasn't ashamed by the way she felt totally, she had no reason after all. But, she just didn't wanted things to go out of hand because she wasn't making any hopes. Yeah, she came to terms with everything she felt, and yes she was pretty sure things are not going to change in the near future; but that didn't offer her certainty.

'We made peace, not confessed to one another. Not like I would expect that to happen anyway...' she thought dejectedly, as a much more somber mood took over her features, replacing her previous embarrassed ones.

Her walking was slow; her mind was focused on other things rather than her direction of walking, or her speed. This way, however, she woke up having an arm thrown over her shoulders as a person made itself seen on her left side.

''Where did you thought you were going?'' Ahri asked, an arched eyebrow presented to accompany her 'are you serious' tone. Akyo looked at her for a while, before returning her attention to the road in front and frowning.

''Some place, far away from the cafeteria. Maybe Ionia. Anyplace other than here, with you and Miss Fortune.'' she said, annoyance obvious in her voice, as Ahri gave a small frown of her own.

''Akyo, I have told you before there's really no need to be embarrassed.'' she told her, and Akyo gave an annoyed sigh.

''Yes, there is. And, since I actually consider you a friend of mine, it would be nice and kind of you to respect my decisions.'' Akyo told Ahri, as Ahri felt intrigued at this.

''What reason could you possibly have, other than what could happen if your three friends learn of this?'' Ahri questioned and Akyo hesitated to answer. ''Well?'' she questioned further and Akyo averted her eyes. Ahri sighed.

''Darling, you aren't hurting anybody with this-'' before she could continue, Akyo interrupted her.

''Yes I am.'' she answered plainly and Ahri arched an eyebrow in interest.

''Who?'' she questioned.

''Myself.''

After this, a continuous silence filled the space between the two girls, as they continued to walk on their way. Akyo had her eyes solely focused on the ground, refusing to meet Ahri's slightly confused and surprised stare. After her brain had finally processed what the girl had said, Ahri gave her a sympathetic look.

''Akyo...'' she said softly as the ninja girl gave a dejected sigh.

''I'm not making any hopes really, that's why I wanted this to stay a secret between the two of us. Think about it Ahri, we've been at each other's throats for a good period of time. Whatever bond that has been between us since childhood had gone dead and cold during these years. Why would I expect this renewed friendship of ours to suddenly turn into something more for the sake of my heart?'' she ranted, as her usual insecurities and anxieties have returned once again.

Ahri paused looking at Akyo for a while, thinking of something to tell her. ''Hope dies last, Akyo. And you have that hope, don't give up on it. You both have agreed to give this another shot, right? To start over. That alone is enough of a chance for you. Don't give up, and don't let the chains of the outside society to be the ones to hold you back.'' she took a small break.''Look at me a little. Do you really think Ionia would have accepted me, an abomination of magic, and a creature that fed of human souls, as a representative to their country? Not even in my dreams, but I have been offered a chance and I have exploited it. Same goes to you, don't say you can't do accomplish something when you haven't even tried it.'' Ahri finished, and Akyo gave her an almost wide look.

''Have I ever mentioned you are wiser than you give yourself credit for?'' Akyo asked, and Ahri giggled.

''A few times.'' she laughed, but then she remembered something to help her raise Akyo's spirits. ''Oh, I just remembered something extremely amazing. Today is The Festival!'' Ahri exclaimed excitedly and Akyo arched an eyebrow.

''The Festival?'' she questioned and Ahri paused in her excitement.

''Oh, this is your first year at the Institute.'' she cleared her throat. ''This day, the free day or The Festival Day, is a day were everybody takes a break at the Institute. There are no summoning matches, thus, no fighting. To keep people busy, there are activities scheduled for the entire day today, and everybody can participate.'' she explained and Akyo didn't liked where this was going.

''And?'' she asked, already feeling anxious.

''And we're going to take part into this.'' Ahri stated with a final tone, as Akyo looked for an excuse.

''I don't really like going out. I'd prefer going to my room if you wouldn't mind.'' she said quickly, already trying to make a sharp turn and leave. Ahri however, caught her by the hood of her jacket and pulled her back.

''Oh no you don't. You stay cooped up in your room all the time, it's not like you move those muscles of yours too much anyway. C'mon, this is for your own good.'' she said, as she dragged Akyo by her arm, outside the Institute.

''I prefer the wise part of yours, why can't you be like that all the time?'' Akyo mumbled and Ahri shot her a grin.

''Because that would be no fun now, would it?'' she said, as they approached the doors that led into the main yard of the Institute.

It was still snowing outside, but it wasn't as cold as expected. There was no wind going on around, as the rare and soft snowflakes slowly made their way down to the ground, covering it in an endless white blanket.

People were already outside, as the events for The Festival seemed to have already commenced. Akyo shuddered slightly, putting her hood back on her head and following Ahri around. People were already gathered up around something, as they were very observant of what was currently going on.

As Ahri and Akyo made their way trough the crowd of people, they could finally see what was going on. Atop of a huge banner displayed out for people to see it was written in cursive letters: _Welcome to The Festival! _ ' and following it, in a smaller writing underneath it : 'First activity : Ice Sculpturing'

The jury was formed out of three persons: Ashe, Sejuani and Lissandra. The entire event being supervised by Anivia, to make sure nobody passed a certain line. The three Freljordian rulers all had very unpleased and frowny faces, Ashe being the only one who tried slightly to hide it. Sejuani had a still frown on her face, her gaze utterly annoyed. Lissandra seemed simply disgusted and disappointed that she had to participate into this, but she stopped fighting it.

And the contestants were various. IT seems the prize was being offered a luxury vacation onto one of Ionia's many relaxing shores and mesmerizing views. Thus, the thought of a free vacation made many champions desire this prize.

The contest just began when Akyo and Ahri made their appearance, thus they got to see it from the very start. With intrigued eyes and different expressions, they watched as the contest unfolded before them. Ahri had a cute smile on her face, her eyes sparking with curiosity. Akyo had an indifferent face, but her eyes were also curious as to what could come out of this, as her eyebrows raised in anticipation. Looking around herself, Akyo observed many familiar faces. On her right, she saw Summoner Kaleyn with The Curator of Sands, Nasus. And in Ahri's left there was Sarah Fortune together with Luxanna Crownguard.

''Hi there girls.'' the summoner girl greeted. She had a scarf around her neck and gloves on her hands to protect her from the cold. Even the Curator of The Sands had a little thicker clothes, since even he felt the freezing atmosphere.

Akyo gave the summoner girl a small smile, before they returned their attention to the contest. A gust of cold wind stealthily blew just by Akyo, making her shiver. Observing her sudden discomfort, Ahri gave off a smug smile and put one of her tails around Akyo's neck gently. Akyo shot her a look.

''Really?'' she questioned while Ahri clicked her tongue.

''How impolite, you can't even thank me properly.'' Ahri said, as she caught Akyo's pink cheeks.

''Thanks.'' she mumbled in her tail's fur. Ahri shrugged her shoulders.

First contestant was Brand, and he wasn't his usual red, fiery self. His orange flames had turned into a pretty shade of blue, as the snow beneath his feet remained solid as it could be. You'd expect him to have melted already the entire place, but it seems his flames weren't eating away at anything frozen, for now.

He grinned, giving off a low terrifying chuckle, as his flames sparked in preparation. In front of him resided most likely the largest cube of ice prepared for the competition. He cracked his knuckles and his hands burst into ethereal flames as he looked at the ice cube before him.

''Prepare to be amazed, fools.'' he told the crowd and most likely his opponents. He approached the ice cube carefully, and his hands slowly reached out to the shinny surface of the cube. As soon as his hands made contact with the cube, it was engulfed in blue flames, the ferocity of the flames blowing away at the crowd.

It felt like participating to a mini explosion, as the force sent back by the flames rattled the people in the first row's clothes and blew away hats. Akyo held on her hoodie, and she blinked a few time to comprehend what had just happened in front of her. She observed the flames had died down, and she looked with wide eyes at what remained of the ice cube.

From the gigantic cube that previously stood in front of Brand, there was one the size of an olive on the ground, as it shone with perfect sculpted facets. Brand looked devastated at the cube in front of him, as jury gave off unimpressed faces. Anivia gave a soft sigh and approached the unstable champion as the jury gave their answers.

Sejuani raised a card on which she had drawn a frowning face; Ashe raised another which had the number '2' written on it; while Lissandra shook her head disapprovingly. Anivia guided the disappointed champion away, as the others awaited with their sculptures.

The next contestant was Malphite, as he stood proudly in front of the crowd. People looked all over the place for his sculpture, but none could catch sight of it. Anivia looked around the tall champion as well and gave him a confused look.

''Excuse me Malphite, but where's your sculpture?'' Anivia questioned the monster as he looked down at her and gave his usual frown.

''I'm the sculpture.'' he said in his deep voice as the people took a second look at him. His previous rocky mass was replaced entirely by ice. His brown and rusty colors were replaced by white and blue, as the cracks that usually covered his body were no longer seen. The weird 'coiffure' if we could call it that way, had been replaced by big ice spikes, as icicles could be seen here and there on his body.

Anivia looked back at the jury and they all had card with a big red X over them, which meant Malphite was disqualified from the competition. With a low mumble and heavy footsteps, the champion left the competition ground, making sure he made his thought about the jury's decision well known with every step he made.

The next competitor was nobody else than Braum, one of the newest additions in the League. The muscular man had a very pleased smile on his face, although his mustache covered most of it. He had his door with him as well, and he stood by a little structure in the shape of a hut or a small house.

''What do we have here, Braum?'' Anivia questioned, as he gave off a hearty laugh and pointed to the small hut.

''It's a house for the little poros, of course!'' he said, as a few poros appeared here and there around the structure Braum had built for them, all with happy faces. Their tongues were wiggling, as they all looked at Braum with sparks in their eyes. The champion gave another laugh and patted them on their heads. Of course, the mustached poro had also made its appearance, as he jumped on Braum's arm and made his way all onto the champion's shoulder, licking Braum's face.

Sejuani gave a 7 with an invisible trace of pink of her cheeks; Ashe offered and 8 with a genuine smile and Lissandra gave it a 4 with indifference.

Anivia moved to the next contestant, and she felt genuinely surprised by its appearance along with the crowd. Renekton stood proudly next to his statue, all the while having this toothy grin on his face. His statue was one that depicted his brother, Nasus, but as people's eyes went higher and higher they all noticed it missed something.

Its head.

Nasus gave a blank stare that turned into a frown upon seeing his brother's statue. He let out an almost inaudible sigh, trying to comprehend this childish behavior. ''Are you serious?'' he questioned out loud, thing which made the shaking girl next to him try harder to control her amusement.

''You've got to give him credit at least, Nasus; i-it's not that bad.'' she managed to get out trough her giggles, as Nasus looked down on her, a glare in his eyes. The girl observed the murderous aura that surrounded him and immediately felt her amusement die along with her smile.

The following competitor was nobody other than Tryndamere, his beloved sword at his side. His face was serious, but there was a mischievous spark in his eyes, as people looked at his sculpture and 'oh'-ed and 'aw'-ed altogether. Tryndamere had carved in ice the face of his wife, Ashe, as the carving held a lot of detail and hard work put in it. The Freljordian queen had a beautiful smile in his carving, as she looked extremely charming and happy.

Ashe's face flushed a cute shade of red, as she offered it a 10. Sejuani and Lissandra weren't impressed and offered a solid red X. In the end, Tryndamere was disqualified from the competition for trying to bribe over the jury.

The next statue however, had people let out gasps, as some of them even let out yelps and took cover when their eyes had landed on it. The evolved and enraged form of a prehistoric yordles with its huge mouth torn open, big and sharp teeth visible was the statue that Gnar had made for the contest. He ran around his work, as he laughed with joy and general happiness. Then, he stopped in front of it and observed the dangerous face the statue held, as he started making funny faces at it as well. The crowd started laughing and snickering.

The slightest of smiles appeared on Sejuani's face as she offered an 8; Ashe gave a 9 and even Lissandra seemed amused, as her final grade was 7.

Following this, the next sculpture was made by Gangplank, as he stood atop of what seemed to be a pirate ship. The detail put into it was amazing, as you could distinguish each and every plank it had. Atop the foremast on the main deck people could see Gangplank with a pirate-like grin on his face, as people looked at his ship in awe. He gave off a hearty laugh at their faces, unable to control his pride.

''Who's ship is this, if you don't mind me asking, Gangplank?'' Anivia questioned kindly, as he laughed again.

''Yarharahrahar; this is me beauty; me proud ship, named after the most beautiful woman me eyes had seen!'' and he laughed again. Intrigued by this, Akyo and Ahri sought out where the name of the ship might be. Not long after searching, on the left side of the ship just about near to the bowsprit letter could be distinguished.

After staring at the writing for a while in an attempt to decipher it, Akyo looked at Ahri and noticed the mischievous spark in her eyes. The two turned to look at Miss Fortune, as her previous cocky demeanor had died down, and was replaced by embarrassment.

The letters on the side of the ship read ''Sarah'' as Akyo and Ahri looked at Miss Fortune expectantly. She was hiding her face in the collar of her winter jacket and glared at them when she felt they weren't going to stop staring anytime soon.

''What? It's from the cold.'' she said defensively, while Akyo and Ahri nodded with mockery.

''Yeah sure.'' they said in unison, returning their attention to the contest.

Olaf showed itself to the crowd, raising his axes in the air in pride. His ice sculpture was an almighty dragon, flying towards the skies with open wings. His jaw was dangerously open, like it would spit out fiery blue flames any moment. Scales and marks could be seen on his body, as people could dissociate every single part of the dragon.

The crowd felt impressed, as the jury let this be seen in their grades.

However, the next statue wasn't as 'impressive' as the last one, even though the artist was a champion just as feared and just as battle thirsty as Olaf. Pantheon had his usually frowny eyes present under his mask, as he stood proudly next to his sculpture. While Olaf's statue had gathered cheers and exclamations of awe, Pantheon's work of art had raised amusement.

Snickers and giggles could be heard from the crowd, as even Anivia felt herself amused. At the jury table, Sejuani had already covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking. Ashe tried her best at keeping a straight face, and Lissandra was silently snickering, but it was visible on her face she had a hard time staying serious.

The icy structure of a large cupcake could be seen, as Pantheon had put a lot of work into details. Sprinkles on top of it were visible, as well as the candle that stood firmly secure on top of it.

''Artisan of War, what is this?'' Anivia questioned as Pantheon boomed loudly.

''The fruit of my hard work that is, Cryophoenix. The motif of my dreams, my goals.'' he said solemnly, as people could barely contain their laughter. It seems it went the same for the jury.

However, people were taken aback when Draven had made himself seen on the competition. He had his usual grin, as Anivia arched an unimpressed ice brow at his demeanor. ''Executioner,'' she called. ''Where is your sculpture?'' she asked him as Draven gave his signature laugh.

''Draaaven has come all the way here to step on all your fool's sculptures. Mine is guaranteed to win.'' he said, as he unveiled his creation which depicted, expectantly, himself. His hands were stretched towards the sky, axes in hands, all the while having the same annoying grin.

Anivia looked at the jury for their answer. They all gave angry frowns and red X-es. Later, Anivia would lead a very sad Draven back to his brother along with the sculpture.

Passing this rather interesting 'art piece' the last of competitor made itself present with his carving. The mighty silhouette of Hecarim made itself present, his dark green aura and fiery terror gave the usual chills to people looking at him. However, his face was in something that represented embarrassment as people took a good look at his sculpture.

The crowd erupted in laughter as they landed their gazes on Hecarim's work. Sejuani had already taken the liberty on banging her fist on the jury table, as she laughed all her worries away. Lissandra and Ashe joined her in the fit of laughter, as this was truly the most interesting appearance that made itself seen today.

The galloping figure of a pony, with a soft mane flowing behind it in the wind and the tail undulating gracefully behind its moving figure is the statue Hecarim had made. The mighty creature could not take the shame, thus he had bowed his head and already started leaving the grounds of the competition.

The winner of the Ice Sculpturing competition had been declared as Gnar, the little yordle started jumping around in happiness and joy, although he might not have been full aware of what he had actually won.

Akyo shook her head in amusement, as Ahri started laughing cutely. This competition had been more of an attempt at humor, rather than showing off one's artistic skills. However, the day was far from over, as another activity she was more than sure Ahri will make her participate in was going to follow.

As people moved around for the next competition, Ahri came behind Akyo and put both of her hands on the girl's shoulders, resting her chin on her left one and gave her a smug face.

''So Akyo, how's your balance?'' the fox questioned as Akyo thought if this was a bad joke or if she was talking about her senses.

''Well I can stay on my feet.'' Akyo answered Ahri plainly, as the fox gave her a smirk.

''Then you should have no problems then.'' she said mysteriously, as Akyo smelled something bad.

''With what?'' she questioned and Ahri just threw her a smug look.

Later, she would find out in what she had been forced into participating. Next competition: Ice Skating. She wouldn't have had a problem against it, if Ahri hadn't insisted in making her wear a ridiculous outfit. A certain ridiculous outfit she had to wear on the Rift for about a few days now.

''You're taking pleasure in torturing me, don't you?'' Akyo questioned as Ahri gave a few cute giggles.

''Stop always being so frowny and actually start enjoying things. This will be fun, I promise. Now go out there and start skating.'' she said, pushing Akyo on the ice.

Of course, at first she had obvious problems with maintaining her balance while moving, without actually moving her legs. She took a few moments to stabilize herself, all the while trying to not look too ridiculous while doing it.

There were champions on the ice already, as the spectating crowd was just as lively. After a while, she had managed to get a hold of herself, as she got a hang of this 'skating' thing. She slowly moved around the ice, not intending on injuring herself.

Probably the most graceful figure that moved around the ice was, ironically, Zac. The green-gooey mass of the gentle creature moved around the ice swiftly and gracefully, liek he was born for this specific thing. It seems he had discarded the ice skates everybody was already wearing for some made by himself, from his own body.

Soraka also had been forced to participate into this event, as she tried to find her balance and manage to move a few centimeters around without falling on her face. Unfortunately, she had little to none success, as her feet weren't made for this type of thing at all, not to even mention the ice skates. With a yelp, the Starchild fell flat on her face for the unknownth time today; as she felt for the first time in her life the amazing urge to tear somebody apart.

Another surprising appearance was Master Yi, his still figure slowly moving across the ice. He wasn't moving his legs, as he tried to focus on what he was going to do next. His little pupil, Kaleyn, had advised him to participate in this regardless if he knew how to skate or not. Master Yi didn't really do much physical training, and the girl was worried for his health, although he had been living without a worry for the past *cough* one thousand years.

Then, an idea popped in his mind, as he felt energy surge trough his body and go all the way to his legs. He started running, his legs moving faster than the eye could catch. He adopted and aerodynamic pose, ready to set off and make his pupil proud.

Truly, his feet were moving a lot faster, but he was running on the spot, and he wasn't gaining a single inch in movement. He looked like a cat trying to keep its balance on ice.

An unfortunate witness to all of this was the summoner girl herself, as she face palmed in embarrassment and wondered why did she thought this was a good idea after all.

''Master, what are you doing?'' she said to nobody in particular, as Nasus looked down at her.

''Come on, Summoner, you have to give him credit. It's not that bad.'' he mocked her, his voice entirely flat. The summoner girl raised her eyes to glare at him, but the tall champion blew her glare away with an amused scoff followed by a deep chuckle.

The one that could rival Zac's grace on the ice could be Lee. Even though he obviously couldn't see people going around him, he felt and heard them, avoiding them easily and with grace. But, there was just so much his senses could tell, as he couldn't hear floating people. Sona levitated gently above the ice, moving around softly all the while looking at people smiling and generally having fun. She turned her head to face forward just in time to see Lee's approaching figure.

If she would've had had the voice, she would've yelped, but instead she remained silent as she and Lee collided and fell on the ice ground. As fast as he could, Lee raised himself from the person he knocked over, as he tried to make out who it exactly was.

''My apologies, it seems I have failed to avoid you.'' he told the respective person, as it stood quiet and didn't say a thing. But when he felt a gentle hand catch his own and softly tighten around it, he knew exactly who he had knocked over and why. He sighed in amusement. ''It seems I fail to avoid you most of the times, Sona.''

The mute muse gave off a cute smile, and even though she knew he couldn't see it, she tightened the hold around his hand again to tell him it was okay. Lee rose to his feet and offered Sona his hand to help her up, as the two started skating together.

Akyo continued skating, as she felt she could finally sped things up a little bit. She was prepared to try and go faster, but she stopped right in time to avoid hitting a small little poro. She observed the cute creature had mini ice skates on its feet, as it flew around aimlessly, although it seemed to have the fun of its life.

Back on solid ground, Braum was giving the last poro its pair of ice skates before letting it go on the ice. He watched proudly as it made circles, with a slightly amused Jayce next to him.

''So, I guess the skates work just fine.'' Jayce noted simply as Braum nodded.

''Yes, my friend, I haven't seen them this happy in years.'' he told the scientist as he laughed and moved towards him.

Braum caught Jayce in a bear hug, and unknown to him, almost suffocated the young scientist. Jayce felt all the air leave his lungs, as he swore he heard a few of his ribs crack under the muscular man's inhumane strength.

''Thanks, my friend.'' he said, as Jayce tried to breathe.

''-o p-ob-m.'' he managed to get out trough desperate attempts at sucking air, before Braum let go of him and he landed on his bottom on the floor. He took desperate gasps of air and held his throat, aware of the fact he had almost seen death.

Braum chuckled and slapped him friendly on the shoulder, although Jayce felt how all the precious air he finally managed to breathe left his lungs immediately. ''You're a little out of shape, my friend. How about you do some exercises?'' Braum offered kindly, showing Jayce his door. He paled.

''N-No th-thanks, man. I-I'll be fine.'' he said, fear and anxiety evident in his voice.

Akyo found out with a smile she really liked this skating thing. She started going faster and faster, gaining more courage as she continued to spend time on the skating field. She felt free, as the wind biting at her face felt refreshing.

She observed how another person was going towards her with speed and her eyes widened. She made a sharp turn just in time, and avoided colliding with the person, all the while maintaining her speed.

Her heart was beating fast, but she didn't care. Her legs were aching slightly, but that didn't bother her either. She hasn't felt this free, this light in years. As she continued to move on the skating field, she managed to shot Ahri a grateful look, as the fox waved her and offered her a smile.

Akyo thought she might just have found a new hobby.

**AN: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SUVENIAAAAAAAAAAA. I can't remember the lyrics...~~**

**Hey, how is it going? Fourth week with regular update, I feel so tired XD.**

**But hey, I'm keeping up my promise, so that's okay.**

**Hope you liked this chapter, yes I know: where is Zed, too little Akyo... e_e**

**Well, have you heard of fillers? Well, I want to put the plot on a small pause before I delve right into it again :]**

**Review time!**

**littleflower54276408: *sees the torturing device* *impressed face* Well, can't say you ain't prepared for everything dear. As I said, just don't kill him, I still need him for a little.**

**And I can totes agree Frosch has a kawaii puppy face!**

**One-shot story? Nah, too soon. I might be nice, but hey, let's face it, I'm not THAT nice. I got addicted to Fairy Tail about an year ago or so as well, during summer I would always watch 5-6 episodes a NIGHT, it was priceless T_T . Also, about your helmet, what kind of 'favor' are we talking about here? Because, while I could improve in both drawing and writing, I'm wiling to make a small deal here * Akyo: Whose side are you on?! * Don't mind her.**

**You caught me red-handed, that's the road I'm heading. The theory about Noc being from the future... Seemed a little too far fetched for me. I know time travel isn't impossible, but I had a hard time figuring out how it could happen. None the less, people have their own opinions, and the ones who strongly believe on it I shall encourage them to do so further.**

**Oh Ahri, what are you doing to me? Offering me so many possibilities... And you do that? Seriously? XD . Well, you're going to re-read most of the chapters from now on, but not all of them. I promised fluffiness will be back, didn't I? ;)**

**pedrokotii: An infinite amount. GET ALL THE NO'S!**

**Well yeah, Riot has this bad habit of sexualizing feminine champions, but hey, they don't do it all the time, and the girls aren't the only victims ( Oh God bless the Riotess who came with the idea of Yasuo being shirtless ).**

**Fluffy tails shall prevail indeed my friend XD. And I haven't thought about that, charming back hmmm... Is this a natural counter for Ahri's I'm seeing? Is this a 100% ban rate in challenger I'm seeing?**

**Y-You read all the replies? ( well I'm basically screwed )**

**Disdun: And sweaters and T-Shirts and pants and whatever girlfriends get from their boyfriends. General answer: They never come back XD.**

**Infectedotter43: T-That's an actually good idea O_O . Zayenn making Akyo jelly, how it comes it didn't cross my mind? See, this is the reason I encourage my reviewers to leave their ideas in the comments, it helps XD. Welp, I'm supporting your new business, and I start with a ten bucks command. Have fun *waves***

**FrozenWave: This is the 3rd new name I see around and I'm ever so happy to see it XD. Thank you for all the support and good thoughts you put into your review, this is a lot more time consuming that I'd like it to be, but I take pleasure in writing and I also find it fun. While this story might not end as soon as I think it will, my road here surely wont end, and neither the road of our characters. (Here have a hint: do you know how Avatar, the last air bender ends? C: )**

**canthandlemyswag: Y-You have that skin too? Two of my friends have it as well, I can't even... *Xperya rage quits***

**I was actually surprised a little when I read your review, because I realized my readers are open minded individuals that are able to respect one's opinion and don't bash it because it doesn't align with it's own ( long story short : I went aww and wanted to hug you ).**

**Brah, if you ever write something, ANYTHING, pm me, spam my inbox, I don't care, but I want to see it. I'm always open to see diversity, and I'm really curious to find out just what are you planning...**

**Balthamel: Don't worry; life's a bitch with everyone, its okay u_u**

**Well, technically she isn't friendzoning him, hope this chapter clearing things out. She's just... uhhh... what's the word... uncertain! Yeah, that word.**

**I giggle a little when I thought how it must have looked, I think I might try to draw it later c_c ; a-and yeah, it's good to put s-some questions at the end of your chapter sometimes... C-Can you lower the pitchfork please. It's poking my eye...**

**Okay so that does it.**

**Hope you actually enjoyed the filler ( it might look rushed, it is, I wrote it all today, hope it's not too bad ;_; )**

**I think only one or two chapters like this might occur in the future, and then we shall return to the plot and see what happens.**

**Also, prepare for Ryo and Master Reiko guys and gals, these two are more than you'd think ... *evil laugh***


	15. Updating Note Again --

Updating note.

Oh hai.

I know it's been about 2 weeks...

I apologize. I really didn't want things to get this out of hands; but I wanted you guys to know why I couldn't keep up with the schedule.

I'm not procrastinating as much as it would interfere with my writing; but school is being too much of a bitch for me to properly sit down and write stuff.

*sigh* So again, I apologize. These last two weeks have been madness, and I don't even want to know what will follow in this one.

I hope that at least I'll make it out alive.

If I do, I hope next Sunday I can post something again.

Just putting this here so you guys don't panic, thinking I'm letting this down again. As soon as my teachers stop being impossible persons to deal with and don't give me shit tons of homework, and as long as my classmates use their goddamn head and don't make our teachers give us shit tons of homework; I should pull trough this nightmare (mommy ;_;)

So yeah... Sorry again. But I promise **if **I can help it next week, I'll try and post the damn chapter like I should have done two Sundays ago. Apologies for the trouble again TT_TT


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